Yuvraj Singh bid farewell to international cricket on Monday, 10 June. After making his debut at the dawn of the millennium, the southpaw was an integral part and probably the first member of captain Sourav Ganguly’s ‘Youth Brigade’.
In his nineteen-year long career, Yuvraj went onto become India’s finest limited-over specialist and fact that has also been stated by his former teammate Gautam Gambhir.
On Monday, after Yuvraj made his announcement, Gambhir took to Twitter to write a message for Yuvraj.
Gambhir wrote: “Congratulations Prince Yuvraj Singh on a wonderful career. You were the best ever white-ball cricketer India had. BCCI should retire the Number 12 jersey in tribute to your career. Wish I could bat like you champion.”
And when Gambhir calls Yuvraj ‘the best ever white-ball cricketer India had’, it is not all an exaggeration. Yuvraj’s ODI and T20I record can vouch for that.
In 304 ODIs, the all-rounder has scored 8,701 runs at an average of 36.55, which includes 14 centuries and 52 half-centuries. He has also accounted for 111 wickets and 94 catches.
In his era, he was probably the only player who could turn a game on its head, either with the bat or the ball, or with his fielding.
The Natwest Trophy Final against England in 2002, the T20 World Cup match against England and the entire 2011 World Cup was a testimony of Yuvraj’s heroics in the limited-over format.
While Yuvraj will mostly be remembered for hitting six sixes in an over in the 2007 T20 World Cup, his most memorable contribution in the limited-over set-up will be the fielding revolution that he started in Team India along with Mohammad Kaif.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate his limited-over success in Tests. But it hardly matters, for when you retire as the ‘master of one’ there is no need to be the ‘jack of all formats’.
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