Yuvraj Singh speaks about his 256 run partership with MS Dhoni at Cuttack

What’s the Story?

After defeating England in the 2^nd ODI at Cuttack and sealing the series, Yuvraj Singh, who was the man of the match due to his match-winning knock of 150 opened up about his partnership with former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"We always have been batting together since he started his career. Obviously I started much earlier. Mahi and me have played a lot of games for India. The camaraderie is always there. I think we have a lot of understanding when we bat together. Running between the wicket is always good. I hope it works on the future as well," said Yuvraj.

“We two were the most experienced players in the team. He realised that I was getting boundaries. He was just there rotating the strike and our first target to make a 25 runs together then go for 50 partnership. After that we wanted to take it further to 100. I think once that happened we were both set," he said when asked about what was going through their mind when India lost three quick wickets.

In case you didn’t know...

Yuvraj and Dhoni turned back the clock as they put on a 256 run partnership against England in the 2^nd ODI at Cuttack. After losing three quick wickets, India were in a spot of bother at 25-3, but the two veterans led the revival for the Men in Blue and showed no mercy as each and every one of the English bowlers were decimated and smashed all around the park. The 256 run stand between the duo turned out to be highest fourth wicket stand against England, and the second highest 4^th wicket stand in the history of ODI cricket. India, who ended up with 381 runs on the board in 50 overs ended up winning the match by 15 runs after a tough fight by the English batsmen.

The heart of the matter

Yuvraj and Dhoni who have played a combined total of over 500 matches have been involved in exactly ten 100+ partnership stands between themselves. By doing so, they broke into the top-5 player pairs with most hundred partnerships for India. Before the Cuttack ODI, their last 50 plus stand was in the 2011 World Cup final, when Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 guided them to a memorable win against Sri Lanka.

What’s next?

Having already sealed the ODI series against the Englishmen, the Virat Kohli-led Indian side will be looking to inflict further damage on their opponents when they come up against them in the 3^rd and final ODI which will be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They will also face England in a 3 match T20I series post the ODI series.

Sportskeeda’s take

As a fan, it was pure joy to watch Dhoni and Yuvraj at their vintage best as they turned back the clock and decimated the English bowlers. With this performance, Yuvraj might have sealed his place in the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy which is to be held in June this year. Dhoni gave a perfect reply to his critics with one of his best performances as a non-captain. It will be extremely interesting to see whether the duo can duplicate this form in the final ODI as well.