Rewind360 When Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in an over

Tanay Tiwari 17:29 16/09/2016
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  • India's Yuvraj Singh.

    Some days, you wake up absolutely invincible. Everything that you do sticks, the long due payment arrives, the project that was in a lurch hitherto seems to come along, the coffee tastes perfect and the salt in the food seems just apropos.

    Then there are these people, the ones who love all the light, all the attention. When it’s a situation that requires nerves, these people stand up and say ‘I’ll do it’.

    Now imagine this same man who loves the big stage, wakes up invincible on a big day. What a combo would that be!

    Step forward Yuvraj Singh in September 2007.

    Yuvraj came into the World T20 in South Africa after a pretty inconsistent series against England. The highlight of his trip was when, in the sixth ODI at The Oval, Dimitri Mascarenhas hit him for five consecutive sixes.

    Albeit, India went on to win that game in a thriller of a chase, courtesy some exquisite batting by Robin Uthappa – the Uthappa who wasn’t afraid to literally walk down the track and bludgeon bowlers.

    No one, not even Yuvraj knew that he would get his revenge in just a couple of weeks’ time.

    In the opening game of the tournament against England in Durban, India won the toss and elected to bat. A brilliant opening stand of 136 runs between Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in 14.4 overs meant that with Yuvraj, MS Dhoni and company still to bat, everyone was in for some fireworks. Little did we know…

    Uthappa was bowled by Chris Tremlett and India’s score read 155/3 after 16.4 overs when Yuvraj stepped out to bat. He raced off to 14 off six balls which included a superb pull that went high in the air over the deep-square leg fence for a boundary off Andrew Flintoff.

    After bowling the 18th over, Flintoff at his nasty best, walked up to Yuvraj and said something to fire the Punjab batsman up. Not one to back out of a fight, Yuvraj charged and the umpires had to intervene.

    This T20 was living up to its reputation! But, the best was yet to be come.

    Stuart Broad came on to bowl the 19th over – with a lot more hair on his head and a lot less experience – the first ball, a sharp delivery and Yuvraj pummelled for a six over deep mid-wicket. That ball went out of Kingsmead and they had to bring out a new ball!

    The second ball, on the pads and Yuvraj creamed it over the boundary just behind square on the leg-side.

    A young Broad and Paul Collingwood – the English skipper – seemed tense as they tried to contain Yuvraj’s momentum.

    A solid delivery from Broad just outside Yuvraj’s off-stump, saw the Indian hit one over cover for his third consecutive six.

    This was some sublime stroke-play. It was only going to get worse for England, Broad and Flintoff.

    Broad, after an extensive discussion with Collingwood, decided to come around the wicket and ended up bowling a full-toss outside Yuvraj’s off-stump. All of England grunted! This was a gift to a man who was hitting the ball so effectively.

    Yuvraj accepted it gleefully and hit it over point for his fourth six. Back in India, lights were being switched on and everyone was locked to their television screens to see Yuvraj at his immaculate best.

    A longer discussion between Collingwood and Broad meant Broad would return to bowling from over the wicket. Nervous, he stuttered and decided to run in again.

    Broad ran in, Yuvraj went on one knee, as if to propose to the God of fortune, and blasted the ball high into the night sky. When the ball finally landed, it was well over the deep square-leg boundary.

    India had passed 200 runs with still seven balls left in the innings, but no one was bothered by that.

    The screen read: 6, 6, 6, 6, 6.

    No one was moving. Everyone absolutely glued. This was history. No one had ever done this in T20 cricket (hit six sixes in a single over). Could Yuvraj? Could an Indian be the pioneer? The nation hoped.

    Broad ran in for one last time in what would go down as his most horrific bowling performance ever. A length ball on middle and leg stump, Yuvraj played an absolute replica of his first shot in the over. As if to complete some circle.

    This six landed almost where the first one did. He had done it! The first man in the world to hit six sixes in a T20 game. The fastest half-centurion in the game. 50 off just 12 balls!

    The big screen read 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6. Ravi Shastri went ‘full monty’ in the commentary box while all of India erupted. This was history!

    Yuvraj went on to play some brilliant knocks in that tournament and in the matches to follow for India, but never after that night did he look like he was beyond perfection.

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