Ever since his international debut in 2000, Yuvraj Singh commanded attention on the cricket field. Standing at 6 feet tall, the southpaw's aggressive style of play meant he was as imposing technically as he was physically.
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Yuvraj formed the backbone of India's middle-order in white-ball cricket for much of the decade from 2000-2010. Add to that the fact that he was a gun fielder, and a more than handy left-arm spinner and there was a potential all-time great in the making.
His international career lasted a grand 17 years, even if the twilight was not as bright as the dawn. Yuvraj continued to play at the domestic level until 2019, when he hung his boots up for good.
On his 42nd birthday, The Sporting News brings you the top 5 moments of his career.
2000: Starting with a bang
Yuvraj made his debut for India in the ICC Champions Trophy (then called KnockOut Trophy) against Kenya in 2000, at the age of 18. He bowled 4 overs for 16, and did not get to bat. When he walked to the crease for the first time in India colours, against Australia, he made an instant impact.
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In Nairobi, India were put in to bat on an overcast day. Yuvraj came in with the score reading 90/3 with Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid all dismissed. He struck two boundaries in his first five deliveries, and never looked back. By the time he was dismissed, the teenager had top-scored with 84 off 80 balls, helping India post a challenging 265/9.
In the field, Yuvraj then took a magnificent diving catch to get rid of Ian Harvey before his direct hit from mid-off caught the dangerous Michael Bevan short of his ground. India would go on to win by 20 runs.
2002: Natwest Series final at Lord's
In 2002, India arrived in England to take on the hosts and fellow Asian side Sri Lanka in the NatWest Tri-series tournament. India topped the table with 4 wins from 6, and met England in the final at Lord's.
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The hosts scored an imposing 325/5 in the summit clash. Indian captain Sourav Ganguly provided some early impetus with 60 off 43 balls, but the Men in Blue slumped to 146/5. It was then that Yuvraj played a superb counter-attacking knock in the company of Mohammad Kaif to give the side a sniff of victory.
He was eventually dismissed in the 42nd over for 69 off 63 balls, as Kaif batted with the tail to take India to an unlikely win.
2007: Six sixes in an over
In the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007, nobody really knew what to expect. The format was new, and India had just endured a torrid time at the 2007 World Cup, suffering elimination from the group stage. A young squad had been selected, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
In the second group stage, India took on England in Durban. Yuvraj came in at number five, and was batting on 14 off 6 balls when he was involved in a war of words with Andrew Flintoff in between overs. In the next over, Stuart Broad bore the brunt of Yuvi's ire.
In an awesome display of power-hitting, Yuvraj smashed Broad all around the ground for six sixes in the 18th over of the innings, making him just the fourth man to achieve the feat. In the process, he also registered the then-fastest T20 half-century off just 12 balls, making it a night to remember.
2011: World Cup Player of the Tournament
The 2011 World Cup remains one of India's greatest sporting achivements in recent times. The Men in Blue became the first team to win the global tournament on home turf, beating Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai.
Yuvraj Singh was named the player of the tournament for his spectacular all-round showing. In 9 matches, he scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets, six of them coming in the knockout stages. Against Ireland, he became the first player to score a 50 and pick up 5 wickets in a World Cup match, and his 57* versus Australia in the quarterfinal ended their run of consecutive World Cup trophies at three.
Yuvraj's achivement became all the more remarkable after it emerged later on that he had played the World Cup while a cancerous tumour was growing in his left lung.
2017: Saving the best for last
After Yuvraj's cancer diagnosis in 2011, he underwent chemotherapy and returned to action the next year, even making the squad for the 2012 T20 World Cup. However, the combination of the disease and his ageing meant he no longer had the same punch on the field.
He underwent a resurgence in 2016/17, scoring 672 runs in 5 matches in the Ranji Trophy for Punjab. This led to a national team recall, and Yuvraj still had one final power-packed knock left in him.
In January 2017 against England in Cuttack, Yuvraj smashed his highest-ever ODI score of 150 off just 127 balls as his 256-run partnership with MS Dhoni helped India recover from 25/3 to post 381/6. He batted just 11 more times for India before formally announcing his retirement in 2019.
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