Yuvraj Singh announces retirement from international cricket

Yuvraj Singh on Monday brought down curtains on his career by announcing retirement from the international cricket. Singh, the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, made the announcement during a press conference in Mumbai.

"After 25 years in and around the 22 yards and almost 17 years of international cricket on and off, I have decided to move on. This game taught me how to fight, how to fall, to dust off, to get up again and move forward," the cricketer said while announcing his retirement.

Yuvraj played 304 ODIs for India and scored 8,701 runs at an average of 36.55. In the 58 T20I matches he played for the country, Yuvraj Singh scored 1,177 runs at an average of 28.02. The left-handed middle order batsman, known for his big-hitting ability, achieved the rare feat of hitting six sixes in an over off England's Stuart Broad and went on to smash the fastest T20I fifty off just 12 balls. In the longer format of the game, Yuvraj scored 1,900 runs in as many as 40 Tests.

Yuvraj started his career from the Punjab Under-16s at the age of 13 years. He made his first-class debut in late-1997 against Orissa during the 1997–98 Ranji Trophy. Following impressive outings for the Under-19 team, Yuvraj was selected in the Indian national team for the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. He made his debut against Kenya in the pre-quarterfinal but didn’t get to bat.

However, he got to bat in the quarterfinal match against Australia. In the match he scored match-winning 84 off just 80 balls against the likes of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. Yuvraj was adjudged man of the match for his blazing innings.