On this occasion, let's raise a toast to his dedication and hard work and look back at five of the numerous instances when both the game and the country were inspired by him.
Be it cancer or poor form, the warrior of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh has always managed to overcome every hurdle on his way to become one of the greats of the game.
The Punjab-born player and one of India's biggest match-winners in limited-overs cricket history, Yuvraj turned 37 today and mere words cannot describe his immense contribution to the nation, be it in World T20 2007 or World Cup 2011.
On this occasion, let's raise a toast to his dedication and hard work and look back at five of the numerous instances when both the game and the country were inspired by him.
The final of the NatWest Series against England at the iconic Lord’s on July 13, 2002, saw Yuvraj scoring an invaluable 69, becoming India's biggest match-winner in a situation of major crisis when the visitors got to a good start but while chasing the mammoth target of 326, the middle order collapsed bringing back the English team into the game. The southpaw, with Mohammad Kaif, ran riot over his favourite opponents England.
India went to South Africa in 2007 with the underdogs tag in the inaugural World T20. The ‘Men in Blue’ had only played one T20I match before the big-ticket tournament. Yuvraj had single-handedly won the matches for his team in the knockout stages against England and Australia. His iconic six sixes off six balls off England's Stuart Broad will forever be remembered in history.
Yuvraj registered his highest ODI score in 2017 against England. Even after playing for more than 15 years, his position was at stake and he shut the critics up with a solid 150 in Cuttack which included 21 fours and three sixes.
The all-rounder played the tournament with the deadly cancer without letting anybody know about it and not only that, he won it too. With his sheer determination, the selfless man took India to many victories in the tournament with his all-round abilities. He scored 362 runs for India with the average of more than 90 and picked up 15 wickets to inspire India to the World Cup glory after 28 years. He won the Player-of-the-tournament award.
The warrior that he is, Yuvraj made a power-packed comeback to the Indian team in 2012, smashing 34 runs off 26 balls against England in a T20I match. Even though he couldn't do his best with the bat but he was the highest wicket-taker for India. His journey of battling cancer is an inspiration to the world.
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