Celebs pay tribute to Yuvraj Singh following his retirement announcement

Yuvraj Singh was the backbone of ODI Cricket for India during the early 2000s.

Yuvraj Singh announced his retirement from professional cricket during a press conference held on Monday afternoon. The southpaw lost his place in the Indian side due to loss of form and persistent fitness issues.

The Punjab batsman amassed 8701 runs in 304 One Day matches for the national side. Yuvraj played a pivotal role in India's T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup success, winning the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 ODI World Cup. He defeated cancer and made a strong comeback in international cricket.

The dashing left-handed batsman was an able match-winner, often deciding games for the Men in Blue with his elegant batting in the middle-order. Yuvraj's demolition of Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup will be fondly remembered, with the southpaw hitting six sixes in an over and registering the quickest half-century in the shortest format, using only 12 balls to reach the feat.

A press conference was called by Yuvraj to declare his retirement, he did so by saying-

"After 25 years, in and around 22 yards, and after almost 17 years of international cricket on and off, I have decided to move on," he said. "I am extremely lucky to play 400-plus games for India. I would never have imagined this when I started my career as a cricketer. It was a love-hate relationship with the sport, in retrospect. I don't think I hated the game, because the love I have for it today, which will remain a constant till the end of [my] life. I can't really express in words what is that feeling.

"The adrenaline rush, playing for India, singing the national anthem before each game, touching the Indian flag, stopping every run for the team, or scoring every run for the team, was a completely different high. To be part of history, that was made after 28 years [in 2011], I mean, honestly, what more could I ask for?"

Here is how Twitter reacted to Yuvi's retirement call,