A nervous 18-year-old Yuvraj Singh was pranked by then Indian captain Sourav Ganguly just before the youngster's India debut in 2000. It made the former Punjab cricketer stay awake the whole night before his first India match.
In a candid conversation on Home of Heroes, Sports18’s newest offering, former India cricketer Yuvraj recalled the prank skipper Ganguly played on him just a night before his debut innings at the 2000 ICC Knockout tournament.
Ganguly asked Yuvraj if he would open in the all-important match the next day.
“Yeah, if you want me to open, I’ll open,” remembered Yuvraj telling his skipper. “Whole night I didn’t sleep.”
On the morning of the match, the captain confessed to pulling a fast one and opened the innings himself. India reached 265 powered by a stroke-filled 84 from Yuvraj.
“I was batting at No. 5, very nervous. But when I went in to bat, focus turned to watching the ball,” recollected Yuvraj who faced the likes of Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and the trademark Aussie sledging. But the day was meant to be his as he got dropped on 37.
“If I today would’ve scored 37 on my debut against Australia, I would’ve been very happy because of the attack that I was facing,” Yuvraj said.
“Luckily, I went on to score 84, I don’t know how, just watched the ball, hit the ball. It was a very big moment for me, to beat Australia and get the Man-of-the-Match award,” said Yuvraj who remembered the importance of running out Michael Bevan.
India beat the world champions in Nairobi courtesy some sensational contributions from an 18-year-old Yuvraj. After impressive willow-work, Yuvraj was electric in the field and plucked a stunner to send Ian Harvey back. Later, the direct hit to run-out Bevan sealed Australia’s fate.
Home of Heroes will be a no-holds-barred conversation with leading figures in Indian sport. During these interviews, some of India’s leading sportsmen and women will reflect on their life and times as elite athletes and offer their perspectives on the key issues dominating their sport. Free-flowing, candid and intimate, it will invite the viewer to experience their sporting heroes in a new light.
Watch the first part of Yuvraj Singh’s interview on Sports18 tonight, 29 April, at 7:00 PM.
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