Former Team India batsmen, Yuvraj Singh (Yuvi), who was undoubtedly one of India’s biggest match-winners in ODIs and T20Is, turned 37 on Thursday. After Team India’s World Cup wins in T20 in 2007 as well as in ODI in 2011, Yuvraj Singh has declared his retirement from international cricket earlier this year. He is currently playing in domestic cricket leagues around the world. Yuvraj was last associated with Team Maratha Arabians in the T10 cricket league in which his team won the third edition of the tournament.
Yuvraj’s contributions towards the Indian cricket team cannot be underplayed. In 2011, Yuvraj Singh played the World cup with cancer. He was spitting blood outside the field but on the pitch, he was performing great by scoring runs prolifically and taking many wickets. For his performances in this World Cup, Yuvraj Singh was awarded the Man of Tournament for his all-round display.
This cricketer is an inspiration for many budding players all around the globe with his dedication and hard work towards the game as well as for his country. The Chandigarh-born cricketer has never given up a single time in his cricket career and has fought adverse situations to make it back into the Indian team, be it because of his poor form or ailments.
Cricket fans remember his 2002 NatWest Series outing where he led Team India to victory in the final match against England on 13 July 2002. Yuvraj Singh laid the strong brick for Team India’s iconic 327-run chase alongside the former player Mohammad Kaif at the iconic Lord’s. The 2007 T20 World Cup will always be remaining fresh and shall be remembered in the book of history for Yuvraj Singh tremendous performance with 6 sixes of six balls against Team England’s Stuart Broad. After that, He became known as “The King Of Sixes”.
In 2012, the warrior of Indian cricket Team overcame cancer and made a comeback to the Indian team and smashed 34 runs off 26 balls against Team England in a T20I match, earning praise from the cricket fraternity. In his bright career, Yuvraj scored 8701 runs in 304 ODIs. In T20Is, he was the MVP of the Indian cricket team at his prime, scoring 1,177 for the Men in Blue in 58 matches.
On Nov 30, 2016, the former player tied the knot with the Bollywood Actress, Hazel Keech. The couple met each other at a mutual friend’s birthday party in 2011, and they became friends in the year 2014. They took their relationship to the next level after a two-year relationship by getting married.
Other Achievements of this Former Team India Cricketer are:
- He is the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi actor, Yograj Singh.
- Since 2000, he was an active member of the Indian Cricket Team and made his debut in a Test match in October 2003.
- He was announced as the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
- Yuvraj Singh was given the prestigious Arjuna Award, which is India’s second-highest sporting award, in the year 2012 by President Pranab Mukherjee.
- In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor.
- He was the only cricketer to hit six sixes in an over in a limited-over game in International Cricket.
- Yuvraj Singh is the only Indian player after Sachin Tendulkar to be signed by Yorkshire in English county cricket.
- The Brian Lara Cricket, a popular computer and video game series by Code masters was launched in India in 2007 under the name of Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007.
- Yuvraj Singh was signed as a brand ambassador by Microsoft when Xbox 360 video game console was launched in India in the year 2006.
Yuvraj Singh last played his international match on June 30, 2017, against West Indies Team. He declared his retirement from international cricket on June 10, 2019.