This Day, That Year: Yuvraj Singh’s Composed Fifty Outshined Ricky Ponting’s Last World Cup Hundred As India Registered Memorable Quarter-Final Win Against Australia
When Yuvraj stepped at the crease after helping restrict Australia to 260/6 despite a Ponting century, the game was nicely set-up with India at 143/3 119 runs to win from 129 deliveries. But Gautam Gambhir departed 15 runs later and captain MS Dhoni – he was yet to hit form and wouldn’t find any until Wankhede came – after adding 19 more.
You could remember this as a Ricky Ponting century that wasn’t an Australian win or Yuvraj Singh’s fighting all-round performance that put India on the brink of their first World Cup title in 28 years. The last Ponting hundred in World Cups that didn’t fetch a win was the 1996 tournament and Australia still played the final that year. In three corresponding editions since then, Australia butchered and bashed every opposition for three successive World Cup titles. But at Ahmedabad on March 24, 2011, Yuvraj – in a sweet company of Suresh Raina – ensured the tide of change had arrived on cricketing land. His 57 following a 2/44 bowling performance setting up an exciting all-Asian semi-final encounter against Pakistan before India thrashed both Pakistan and Sri Lanka to lift the title. This Day, That Year: India Suffered Heartbreak Against Australia in 2003 World Cup Final.
When Yuvraj stepped at the crease after helping restrict Australia to 260/6 despite a Ponting century, the game was nicely set-up with India at 143/3 119 runs to win from 129 deliveries. But Gautam Gambhir departed 15 runs later and captain MS Dhoni – he was yet to hit form and wouldn’t find any until Wankhede came – after adding 19 more. But with India’s chances dwindling, Yuvraj clobbered Shaun Tait for a boundary over backward point and fine placed a yorker from through the third man and with it swung India’s chances alive again. This Day, That Year: MS Dhoni's Smart Run-Out To Choke Bangladesh by One Run in ICC T20 World Cup 2016 (Watch Video).
When Yuvraj Singh Halted Australia's World Cup Run
India lost none after Dhoni departed at 187 with Yuvraj and Raina stitching a 74-run stand for the sixth wicket in just 61 deliveries and romping the nation home with 14 deliveries to spare. But let's get to the start. Australia has won the toss and the question still ponders will Ricky Ponting lift Australia’s fourth consecutive title or India finally get one over Ponting’s marching soldiers at home.
Shane Watson and Brad Haddin started well for the Aussies with the latter even hitting a half-century. But the show, like it was when these teams last faced in a World Cup match, belonged to Ponting or at least the first half of it. The Australian skipper, then 38-year-old, has acknowledged the slow and dryness of the pitch quite early and has substituted his flamboyance for more grit and resolute approach. Haddin departed with the scores at 110 and from there Ponting made the innings his own. He ran hard, found a way to tackle both Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin and played by hitting more of Yuvraj Singh.
But even as India failed to remove it, they worked on those at the opposite end. Yuvraj came and got Michael Clarke, who departed after playing a rash slog-sweep early in his innings before Zaheer Khan removed both Michael Hussey and Cameron White. The former getting completely bamboozled by Zaheer’s seam position and a slower knuckle ball. But Ponting stayed and got a century and Davi Hussey's quick-fire provided Australia the good finish they required.
Sachin Tendulkar then did exactly what Ponting did earlier but to a lesser extent. India's opening pair hit 44, the next scored 50 between them and the next 49 but none managed to go big. Sachin Tendulkar (50) and Gautam Gambhir's half-centuries kept the chase steady and under control. But nine overs after Virat Kohli's departure India suddenly looked bereft of ideas and had lost control of themselves let alone the chase.
Gautam Gambhir seemed to have envisaged a plan to somehow get run-out and was dismissed by the same mode in his third attempt. While Dhoni came swung big, missed most and left. And suddenly from being under control, India were behind. But Yuvraj had control over himself and after going at snail's pace early in his innings, he brought the chase under control with a flurry of boundaries in the 39th and 40th over and India were on it again.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2020 01:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).