Yuvraj Singh and the ICC Champions Trophy have a special bond. In 2000, the 19-year-old dasher announced himself on the world stage with a magnificent 84 against Australia to give India a famous win. Now, 17 years later, Yuvraj is all set to take part in yet another memorable encounter as the defending champions lock horns with Bangladesh in the second semifinal of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2017.
Apart from a potential clash with Pakistan in the final, the semifinal marks yet another landmark for the stylish left-handed batsman as he plays his 300th ODI. He’s played some prolific knocks over the years at home and abroad and has built an unmatched persona in the Indian dressing room. Several team-mates have taken to Twitter to congratulate India’s best match-winner.
A bond which started more than 20 years ago…special dedication for my brother @YUVSTRONG12 pic.twitter.com/Zb68JPcaYT
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 15, 2017
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar also took a walk down memory lane as he recalled a few memorable knocks of Yuvraj. In a video uploaded by the International Cricket Council recently, Tendulkar focused on Yuvi’s debut knock against Australia.
🎥 The little master @sachin_rt looks back on some of his Champions Trophy memories and a special innings by @YUVSTRONG12! #CT17 pic.twitter.com/Mw7zlpszun
— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2017
Tendulkar, who has also played several memorable knocks in the Champions Trophy, including his magnificent 134 against Australia in the inaugural edition, added that the tournament offered something new to the cricketing world. The right-hander fondly recalled of his epic all-round show against the Aussies.
“The first time we played was in Bangladesh in 1998. You didn’t know what to expect right… It was the first time that the Champions Trophy was being played but before that it was always the World Cup. And this was like a mini World Cup!” Tendulkar said of the inaugural edition of the tournament. Although Bangladesh didn’t participate, the tournament was held in the South Asian country to promote the sport. “In the game against Australia, where I scored a 134 and took four wickets, they were actually chasing well but I got the lengths right. Most of my leg-spins would end up as full-tosses but as I joked with my teammates, I got the permission to land that day. That was a big game.”
The former India captain also lauded his opponents, a side that boasted of the likes of Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath to name a few. Australia had won three consecutive World Cups between 1999 and 2007. “They had an all-round team, they had world beaters. So, overall one had to play good quality cricket in order to beat them,” he added. “It’s like playing Roger Federer. You have to play well in all five sets in order to beat him. There have been a number of tournaments I’ve been part of but there are certain games which always stay with you and these ones I would say stayed with me.”