Yuvraj Singh, who came when India skipper Virat Kohli was struggling to get his timing right, sent the ball flying to all parts of Edgbaston. His 53 runs included eight hits to the fence as well as a six.
Yuvraj Singh, who smashed 53 off 32 balls, showed grit against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, beating them by 124 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 opener match.
Yuvraj, who came when India skipper Virat Kohli was struggling to get his timing right, sent the ball flying to all parts of Edgbaston. His 53 runs included eight hits to the fence as well as a six.
The left hander’s half-century, which was his career’s 52nd ODI fifty, was the fastest fifty by an Indian in the Champions Trophy.
https://twitter.com/ICC/status/871482964735021057
Even Kohli was impressed with his performance and said, “Yuvi took pressure off when I couldn’t get runs. The way he was hitting the ball, I felt like a club batter in front of him.”
Yuvraj, who no longer enjoys a direct selection to the squad, delivers when it matters the most. He said in a post-match interview, “I was lucky I was dropped, but I capitalised and I was hitting it well. I finished well. India-Pakistan is always a big game, and I think it has set us up really well. Hopefully we’ll take this confidence into the next game against Sri Lanka.”
He along with Kohli stood out in an all-round batting effort, taking India to 319 for three after rain halted proceedings twice. In return, Pakistan, who had won the toss and opted to field first, were all out at 164.
ICC Champions Trophy, India Vs Pakistan: India Beat Pakistan By 124-Runs
Despite this, for some reason, even after being dropped in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016, Yuvraj Singh carried on.
Most, even the die-hard Yuvi loyalists, had lost hope of him making a return to the Indian colours again after the 2016 World T20.
Maybe that was it after all. He was nearly 35, his batting was quite evidently on the wane and his bowling and fielding also were no longer valuable components that he could bring into the table.
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