Yuvraj Singh: The Prince of Indian Cricket

Today is a grey day for the entire cricketing fraternity as one of the biggest names in the Cricketing World is hanging up his boots and calling it quits.

Did you get who I am talking about? Yes, I am talking about the prince of Indian cricket, Yuvraj Singh.

The Indian World Cup winner announced his sudden retirement from IPL and all formats of International cricket yesterday.

Yuvraj Singh is probably one of the most recognised names when it comes to T20 and ODI cricket.

The accomplished maestro has been a part of the Indian side that won the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2000, which was the beginning of a memorable journey of this sensational Indian cricketer.

Yuvraj was also the part of the ICC T-20 World Cup winning team and the 2011 ICC World Cup winning team; making him a part of the elite club.

From his debut innings (as he did not get to bat in his debut match against Kenya) where he scored 84 in 80 against Australia to his 6 sixes against Stuart Broad, we can’t help but remember them all.

Talking about memorable knocks, the Natwest Trophy final of 2000 can’t be helped but brought to the limelight. It was Yuvraj and Mohammad Kaif’s heroics that sealed India’s victory as the duo put on a 121-run stand to see India through.

It would be rather time-consuming if we try and list out this legend’s memorable knocks; but to point out a few, it has to be his knock against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup where he not only whacked Stuart Broad for 6 sixes, but scored his 50 in just 12 balls.

A similarly destructive self of Yuvraj was seen during the semi-finals against Australia. The explosive batsman put up a blistering knock of 70 in just 30 balls, to save a birth in the Finals.

With 4 half-centuries, a century, and 15 wickets; Yuvraj was also named man of the series in the 2011 World Cup for his exceptional all-round performance, making him the hero of India’s triumph.

The left-hander left no stone unturned in his career and was regarded as a destructive and feared batsman of his era. He is now leaving behind a legacy of over 11,000 International runs, in a span of 19 years.

The maestro was in the form of his life during and before the World Cup 2011 and was all set to become an all time great; before a black lightning struck him.

Yuvi was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011. It all changed for Yuvraj post then. The champion didn’t just have a habit of sweeping clean on the field, but also swept cancer out the same way. In 2012, after 3 rounds of chemotherapy, Yuvraj was finally cancer free.

The Prince of Punjab had fought his way out of cancer like a champ and was all ready to take on the field once again. But things were never the same after his battle with cancer.

It wasn’t easy for him to keep up his fitness and go back to his usual form as he was seen struggling with not just batting, but fielding as well.

It was heart breaking, seeing our World Cup hero go through this gloomy phase as he fought hard to get back to his usual form.

Yuvraj is easily an Indian legend who will be known for his heroics, despite his misfortune. Had he not had the wretched disease at his prime, Yuvraj could have gone down in history with many a more and different records.

Yuvraj has 13 ODI centuries, making him the third highest on the list of batsmen with most number of centuries from position 4-6. Yuvraj was always considered to be a great finisher and rightly lived up to his tag.

His left arm spin always played a crucial part to the team as he would not only pick up wickets, but also keep the economy under check. Yuvraj finished with 111 ODI wickets.

It wasn’t just his batting or bowling; Yuvraj was a Three Dimensional player by true means. His athleticism when in terms of fielding, was unparalleled, making him one of the best fielders India has ever had.

After 19 glorious years; which also included a few gloomy ones, Yuvraj has finally decided to pass on the baton and hang up his boots. The legacy left behind by this fighter is an inspiration for many.