Yuvraj Singh
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who turned 39 on Saturday, celebrated the occasion by hitting the nets and getting back to the 'grind'. Yuvraj, the Player of the Tournament of the 2011 World Cup, shared a clip on his Instagram where he can be seen honing his batting skills during a practice session.
Yuvraj also thanked everyone for their wishes on his special day. "Going into the new year like!! Was good to get to be back in the grind. Sometimes it’s important to be away to realise what you love doing the most. thank you, everyone, for your love and wishes," he wrote along with the clip.
Yuvraj, ending his 17-year-long international stint, had announced his retirement last year. Along with his 2011 World Cup heroics, the highlight of the southpaw's career was his blistering knock of the 2007 T20 World Cup, where he hammered six sixes off Stuart Broad's over.
He continued his purple patch by slamming 70 off just 30 deliveries in the semi-final game against Australia, leading the way in India's 15-run victory. India eventually won the inaugural event by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.
The Chandigarh-born represented the national side in 40 Tests, 305 ODIs and 58 T20Is, playing a crucial role in India's title-winning campaigns in 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup.
In the 2011 World Cup, he became the first player to score 300-plus runs and take 15 wickets in a single edition of the mega event. Yuvraj's career suffered a major setback after the 2011 World Cup when he was diagnosed with cancer. He, however, was successful to pave his way back to the national side in 2012. He ended up scoring over 11,000 runs while bagging 402 international caps.
He also represented a string of IPL franchises over the course of his career. He was a part of Kings XI Punjab, Pune Warriors India, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. On Yuvraj's 39th birthday, he was wished by many former players and his teammates. The BCCI and the ICC also extended wishes to the swashbuckling all-rounder.
