When it comes to hitting the ball hard and clean, there are very few batsmen better than Yuvraj Singh. Gifted with flamboyance, the southpaw’s ability to hit sixes at ease has always been a nightmare for opposition bowlers.
He smashed 74 sixes in international T20 cricket – the most by an Indian batsman. Even at the age of 35, Yuvraj turned the clock back against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday, with a scintillating 62 off just 27 balls, aided by three massive sixes.
Overall, the destructive batsman has hammered 239 sixes in 195 matches in the lucrative format, and some of them not only cleared the ropes but travelled many miles. Now, let’s go back and relive the five monstrous strike from the Punjab batsman.
#5 World T20 2009, 102m
In the second edition of World T20, in 2009, though India’s title defence was forgettable, Yuvraj grabbed plenty of attention owing to his majestic display of six hitting. In fact, the left-hander topped the list for most sixes in the tournament with nine maximums, one more than the big Jamaican, Chris Gayle. Out of those mighty blows, the biggest one came against England in the super six match at Lords where Yuvi smashed his old foe Dimitri Mascarenhas for a massive 102m six over long on.
In pursuit of England’s total of 153, India never really got going and lost wickets at regular intervals. Once Gambhir was dismissed in the 11th over, the Indian fans at the Lord’s stadium were stunned into silence.
However, Yuvraj took everyone’s breath away in the next ball of the innings – when he nonchalantly lofted the length ball towards long-on that travelled many a mile over the biggest boundary of the iconic ground.
#4 World T20 2007, 105m
Kingsmead, Durban has witnessed several magnificent innings since its first international match in 1923, but perhaps nothing quite spectacular than Yuvraj Singh’s savage assault on a balmy evening, on September 19, 2007. After having an altercation with Andrew Flintoff, a riled up Yuvraj smashed Stuart Broad for six sixes in the penultimate over of the innings.
There is no denying that all six sixes were a sight to behold. However, the first one was the best of the lot as it was sent soaring over midwicket, and the ball nearly landed outside the stadium. The 105m strike was also listed as one amongst the 14 biggest hits in the inaugural edition of World T20.
#3 IPL final 2016, 107m
In the mouth-watering IPL 9 final between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Yuvi hit two whopping sixes in his innings of 38 from 23 balls. The first six, which he flicked over deep square leg didn’t go that far, but another strike off the bowling of Yuzvendra Chahal in the 15th over went 107m, over long-off.
Indeed, after seeing the lusty hit from the commentary box, one of India’s all-time greats, Sunil Gavaskar, went into raptures and reckoned that it could be the biggest six in IPL 9. But unfortunately, this wasn’t the biggest as Ben Cutting launched Shane Watson’s full toss out of the Chinnaswamy for a massive 117m six in the same match.
#2 IPL 2009, 118m
In the 34th match of IPL 2009 between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab at Centurion, Albie Morkel was the victim of another outrageous shot by Yuvraj Singh. Chasing a huge target of 186 runs, Yuvraj went hammer and tongs after the CSK bowlers, smashing fours and sixes with relentless ease.
But the breath-taking moment came in the final ball of the 16th over, when Albie Morkel bowled a full delivery aimed at Yuvraj’s pads and the left-hander cleared his front foot out of the way and smacked the ball, which sailed 118 meters over his favourite midwicket fence. In fact, it was the biggest six hit by a batsman in the second edition of IPL.
#1 World T20 semi-final 2007, 119m
(Video Courtesy: nagendra reddy YouTube Channel)
This monstrous hit in the inaugural edition of world T20 semi-final against Australia has been the best six from the swashbuckling left-hander so far. With India 54/2 at the end of 9.5 overs, Yuvraj effortlessly flicked the length ball from Brett Lee for a massive 119m six over deep square leg.
Amongst the 218 sixes hit in the tournament, this mammoth blow was the biggest six of the competition.
After Yuvraj stunned everybody by smashing one of the most menacing bowlers in the competition, the cricketing world saw many gigantic sixes hit from Chris Gayle to Brendon McCullum in next five editions of World T20. But still, this pick-up shot from the Punjab power hitter stands out to be the biggest hit by a batsman in the premier T20 competition.
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