India is set to take on Bangladesh in the second semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2017 later today at Edgbaston, Birmingham, and while all the focus will be on making it to the final, this is special for one player in particular. Yuvraj Singh is set to make his 300 ODI appearance for India against Bangladesh and this is a huge milestone as only four other players have achieved this feat before him.
In his 17 years of playing for the Indian cricket team, Yuvraj has scored 8,622 runs with a strike rate of 87.81 and has overcome many obstacles including his battle against cancer. Yuvraj had suffered a dip in form on a number of occasions but he constantly made a comeback and described this achievement as a huge honour.
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"It is huge honour. When I started playing for India I was happy just playing one game for India. That would have been a big achievement for me, but it's come a long way. There have been ups and downs, and I am proud of myself. I have come through and still managed to get to 300. At one stage I was thinking if I was going to play another game," ESPNcricinfo quoted Yuvraj as saying.
In the 299 matches Yuvraj has played for India, so far, he's had a number of memorable performances and you can expect a few more to come over the years. Here is a look at a few of his best.
150 off 128 balls vs England, Cuttack, 2017
After India lost three wickets within the first five overs, Yuvraj stepped in and did not waste any time settling in. He hit his ninth ball for a four and followed that up with another boundary three balls later. Out of his first 27 runs, 24 came in six boundaries and he also got his first 50 in 1,149 days. But Yuvraj was not done at all. He made 100 from 98 balls and surpassed his previous best of 138 when he made 150. He hit a total of 21 fours and three sixes that match.
113 off 123 balls vs West Indies, Chennai, 2011
This match was during the ICC World Cup in 2011 and after India got off to a slow start, Yuvraj stepped in and saved the day. Yuvraj reached his 13th ODI century as he scored 113 hitting 10 fours and two sixes and helped India put up a respectable total of 268. His performance in this match also earned him the Man of the Match award.
138* off 76 balls v England, Rajkot, 2006
Prior to this match, it had been a year since Yuvraj hit a century and he picked the perfect occasion to change that. He hit a whopping 138 not out from just 76 balls as he took India to a total of 387. India went on to win the match by 158 runs as the England bowlers just did not know what to do to take him off the field. After that match, MS Dhoni said: "When he (Yuvraj Singh) bats like that, there's nothing much the opposition can do."
98* off 110 balls vs Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2001
This was a time when Yuvraj was slowly making his way into the India team and he also suffered a dip in form. He was not selected for the tour of Zimbabwe but was given a chance against Sri Lanka. India was in serious trouble as they were 38/4 but Yuvraj along with the help of Rahul Dravid turned things around. While Dravid made 47, Yuvraj hit 98 and if it was not for cramps, he would have got his maiden hundred.
84 off 80 balls vs Australia, Nairobi, 2000
Yuvraj had just made his debut for the Indian team at the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy in the previous match against Kenya but he did not get a chance to bat. However, in the next match against Australia, with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid departing within seven overs, Yuvraj, who was just 18 at that time got his chance finally. He scored 84 from 80 balls and forty-eight of his 84 runs in that innings came in boundaries.
