5 Performances Of Yuvraj Singh That Changed Indian Cricket Forever

World Cup 2011

Yuvraj Singh was as instrumental as anyone else in India lifting an ODI World Cup after a gap of 28 years.

The first player whose name comes to the mind when one thinks of World Cup 2011 is Yuvraj Singh. If the 1981 Ashes is referred to as Botham's Ashes, the 2011 World Cup can certainly be referred to as Yuvraj's World Cup.

Having enjoyed a great run between their World T20 victory back in 2007 and this World Cup, India - who were hosting the tournament along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - were being seen as favourites according to many experts.

The team was playing a good mix of youth and experience and started the tournament with a bang in the opener against Bangladesh. Their second match against England ended in a tense tie, with Yuvraj scoring a 46-ball 50 in his first knock in the tournament. In India's very next game against Ireland, Yuvraj achieved his first ever five-wicket haul and scored an unbeaten fifty to achieve a rare double.

He followed this up with a similar performance in India's very next match against the Netherlands, this time taking just two wickets. Though Yuvraj could not do much in India's only loss in the tournament to South Africa, he ensured at least two wickets with the ball in all of the remaining four matches in the World Cup.

In India's last league game, Yuvraj played a huge role in comfortably taking India through to the quarter-finals. Coming into bat at 51 for 2 after 8.3 overs, Yuvraj battled fitness issues in tough conditions in Chennai. Suffering cramps and cancer symptoms, Yuvraj batted on to score his first World Cup century which gave West Indies a challenging target.

In the quarter-final against Ricky Ponting's Australia, who were attempting to win their fourth consecutive World Cup - India were in the middle of a tense chase when Yuvraj came in to bat.

Within nine overs of his arrival, India lost two another wickets to leave the side needing 74 runs at run a ball with five wickets in hand. Three of the world's fastest bowlers - Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson were breathing fire at the other end.

Batting with the last recognized batsman Suresh Raina, who was playing only his second match - everything was up to Yuvraj. Raina's confidence on such a huge stage inspired Yuvraj too, and he attacked Brett Lee and Shaun Tait with cover and square drives through the off side.

Ten boundaries between the pair meant India needed only four off the last 15 balls, and Yuvraj hit a trademark cover drive off Brett Lee to secure yet another ICC tournament victory against the best team of that era.

While he failed with the bat in the semifinal, he bowled and fielded well to support the main bowlers to register a historic victory against Pakistan. In the final, his usual number five batting position was taken by out-of-form Indian captain MS Dhoni.

Luckily enough for India, Dhoni found his form at the right time. Gautam Gambhir lost his wicket while trying to get to his hundred with a boundary, and India still needed 52 when Yuvraj came in to bat.

Yuvraj played his natural game and did not have to sweat much as the Indian captain was having a blast against the Sri Lankan bowlers at the other end. He was at the other end when Dhoni hit Nuwan Kulasekara out of the park with just four needed.

His 362 runs with the bat at an average of over 90, and 15 wickets with the ball were instrumental in India winning the ODI World Cup after 28 years.

How it changed Indian cricket:

India has been a dominant force in world cricket ever since the victorious World Cup 2011 campaign. This victory was a result of immense hard work put in by the players and the management after a dismal World Cup 2007 campaign in West Indies.

Before the tournament, besides bilateral tournaments, India had won various multilateral ODI tournaments during the lead up to the World Cup, including CB series in Australia, Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka and the Asia Cup 2010.

While India suffered a poor run for around two years after the World Cup victory, it also coincided with Yuvraj's absence from the team due to his cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery time.

However, after the World Cup win, India became a force to be reckoned with in ICC tournaments. India went on to win ICC Champions Trophy 2013, reached the semi-finals of World Cup 2015 in Australia and ended up as the runners-up of ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

At present, the Indian cricket team have become a more aggressive side and have been tough on all players who failed to perform - whether junior or senior. This is very similar to the culture of the world champion Australian team that dominated cricket for quite a while.

Yuvraj, however, performed outstandingly during many of his comebacks after the World Cup victory. Having made four comebacks after the 2011 World Cup victory, Yuvraj is looking for a fifth and final comeback to add to India's glory.