One of the most prolific batsman of the country Yuvraj Singh is celebrating his 35th on Monday. Fondly called as the 'sixer king' Yuvraj share an interesting span of ups and downs in both his career and his personal life. Whether it be of fighting a successful battle against cancer or leading team India to its world cup title, Yuvi has seen it all in his 16 year long career.
Born on December 12, 1981, Yuvraj is one of the most thrilling batsmen in one-day cricket. Yuvi who recently got married to Hazel Kich holds the distinction of being part of three World Cup-winning Indian teams — the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2000, ICC World T20 in 2007 and ICC World Cup in 2011.
Apart from his major achievements of hitting six sixes in an over against England in the maiden ICC T-20 world cup against England, Yuvraj was also adjourned as the Man of the tournament in the ICC World Cup 2011 held in India.
Here are some of the unknown facts about Yuvraj Singh's life and his career:
Childhood hobies:
In his childhood, Yuvraj was very fond of roller-skating. He also won the National U-14 Roller Skating Championship. But his father Yograj Singh,threw away the medal and told Yuvi to focus on cricket.
Stay in Mumbai
As a teenager, Yuvraj was sent to Mumbai to train at the Elf-Vengsarkar Cricket Academy. In Mumbai, Yuvraj was so intimidated by the number of people in Mumbai that he used to say, 'Bombay is full of people. Chandigarh is full of trees.’
Stinct as an actor
As a child, Yuvraj acted in a couple of movies. Yograj Singh, Yuvraj’s father, had also got into films after his retirement.
279 in Vijay Merchant Trophy
Playing for the Punjab under-19s in a Vijay Merchant Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir under-16s in 1996, Yuvraj smashed 279 out of a team score of 498. Jammu and Kashmir under-16s managed only 65 and 149 in their two innings. This meant that Yuvraj alone had outscored the opposition’s match tally by 65 runs.
358 in Cooch Behar Trophy final
Playing for the Punjab under-19s against Bihar under-19s in the Cooch Behar Trophy final in December 1999, Yuvraj smashed 358 off 404 balls. His innings featured 40 fours and six sixes. Interestingly, future Indian skipper MS Dhoni was a part of the opposition and had scored 84 when his team batted.
First Indian to score a fifty in T20 cricket
T20 cricket began in England in 2003 and that year three Indians — Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Virender Sehwag — were a part of the county cricket. On June 14, 2003, both Yuvraj and Kaif became the first Indians to play T20 cricket when Yorkshire faced Derbyshire. A couple of days later, Yuvraj hit 71 against Sehwag’s Leicestershire to become the first Indian to score a fifty in T20 cricket.
Six sixes in a over
Yuvraj shares the distinction of being one of the four batsmen to smash six sixes in an over. He is the only one to have done it off a frontline bowler. Also, he is the only man to have hit six sixes off a fast bowler.
Yuvi as voice artist
In 2008, Yuvraj lent his voice for the animated movie titled Jumbo. Yuvraj had given his voice for the character of Rajkumar Vikram.
Audi car for world cup performance
In 2011, when Yuvraj Singh’s all-round performance helped India lift the World Cup and he was adjourned the Man of the tournament award, Audi presented a Q5 car to him.
Battle with Cancer
Throughout the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj battled with health issues. A tumour was developed in his left lung which came out as a cancer. After battling a tough fight against the deadliest disease and months of chemotherapy sessions, Yuvraj returned to the Indian side and made his comeback during a T-20 against New Zealand in September 2012. He also runs an initiative 'You We Can' to support cancer patients in overcoming the disease.
