OdishaPlus Bureau
It is an overcast day at the Mecca of Cricket (Lord’s), on the 13th of July. The year is 2002. India and England are locking horns in the Natwest Series Finale. Batting first, England has already managed to post a mammoth 325 on the board, owing to the heroics of skipper Nasser Hussain and stellar opener Marcus Trescothick.
Taking advantage of the field restrictions on a flat deck conducive to batting, the Subcontinental giants are also off to a flier, with openers Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly putting up a respectable 106 on the board for the first wicket. They seem to be keeping up with the chase. However, Alex Tudor’s wicket of Sourav Ganguly on 60 paves the way for an Indian batting collapse. India’s middle order tumbles like a pack of cards.
The responsibility to accomplish this herculean chase now rests upon the slender shoulders of two 19-year-olds, without any accolades to their names at that point. They are just two inexperienced cricketers out there in the middle, without too many expectations burdening them. Surprisingly enough, and to the sheer joy of the spectators, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh whip up a 121-run partnership leading India to a historical victory.
This was the story of Indian Cricket’s Poster boy of the 2000s, Yuvraj Singh’s rise to prominence at the biggest stage. To the utter dismay of the fans and the whole cricketing fraternity in India, Yuvi pa (as he’s fondly called), announced his retirement from international cricket. Even though his decision to announce it in the midst of the biggest cricketing event in the world (The World Cup), reeked of narcissism and attention-seeking behaviour, one cannot discredit him of his tremendous contribution to Indian Cricket.
Having debuted in 2000, Yuvraj Singh went on to become one of the most celebrated cricketers of this generation. Contrary to popular belief, he never had anything on a palate. Despite his father being a former Indian cricketer, Yuvraj had to battle it all out and overcome numerous obstacles to play at the highest level.
In this undulating journey of 18 years, with an even number of troughs and crests, the southpaw from Chandigarh has had an illustrious cricketing career to say the least. From his six sixes in an over at the t20 world cup in South Africa, to his sprawling all-round displays at the 2011 Cricket World Cup while languishing in pain because of the undetected cancer, Yuvraj Singh is hailed as nothing less than a messiah by cricket fans throughout the country. The successes, the failures, the love, the criticism, the man’s seen it all.
Yuvraj played 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is, garnering more than 12,000 International runs and more than 150 wickets. He was also an incredible asset to team India in the fielding department, with his sharp catches in his most favoured backward point position and his outrageously accurate bullet throws. Having enjoyed a fair amount of success, Yuvraj also faced a substantial number of lows, cancer being the toughest blow to his career
The veteran saw a substantial dip in his performance after having bravely battled cancer, but he was still thoroughly determined to make a remarkable comeback on the international stage and worked tirelessly to do so. Even though he wasn’t the same in terms of calibre after such a setback, one could still see glimpses of the vintage Yuvraj Singh from time to time. Irrespective, one is bound to miss seeing him represent the country, in traditional Blues. Indian cricket will forever be indebted to him!
Story By- Saaransh Mishra
