Earlier this year, when Yuvraj Singh announced his retirement from international cricket, an era came to a close in Indian cricket. The stylish left-handed batsman was one of the finest strikers of the ball and one of Indian cricket’s greatest match-winners in limited overs cricket. The hero of India’s two World Cup victories, Yuvi’s exploits and his contributions to Indian cricket shall never be forgotten. In a glittering career that spanned 19 years, there were several Yuvraj Singh records created.
Batting Career:
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg. | 100 | 50 |
| Tests | 40 | 62 | 1900 | 169 | 33.92 | 3 | 11 |
| ODIs | 304 | 278 | 8701 | 150 | 36.55 | 14 | 52 |
| T20Is | 58 | 51 | 1177 | 77* | 28.02 | 8 | |
| First-class | 139 | 221 | 8965 | 260 | 44.16 | 26 | 36 |
| List A | 423 | 389 | 12663 | 172 | 37.91 | 19 | 78 |
| T20s | 231 | 216 | 4857 | 83 | 25.69 | 27 |
Bowling Career:
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Eco. | SR | 4w | 5w |
| Tests | 40 | 35 | 931 | 547 | 9 | 2/9 | 60.77 | 3.52 | 103.4 | ||
| ODIs | 304 | 161 | 5048 | 4294 | 111 | 5/31 | 38.68 | 5.1 | 45.4 | 2 | 1 |
| T20Is | 58 | 31 | 424 | 499 | 28 | 3/17 | 17.82 | 7.06 | 15.1 | ||
| First-class | 139 | 3408 | 1978 | 41 | 5/94 | 48.24 | 3.48 | 83.1 | 1 | ||
| List A | 423 | 7083 | 6010 | 166 | 5/31 | 36.2 | 5.09 | 42.6 | 2 | 1 | |
| T20s | 231 | 130 | 1597 | 1989 | 80 | 4/29 | 24.86 | 7.47 | 19.9 | 2 |
Here is a look at some of the key records and achievements by the stylish Indian match-winner.
First man to hit six sixes in an over in T20Is:
Do we need to even talk about this? Because it is perhaps the most viewed Indian cricket moment in recent memory; second only to MS Dhoni’s six that helped India lift the 2011 World Cup.
In the maiden ICC World T20 2007 in South Africa, Yuvraj Singh smacked England’s Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over to become the first man in T20I cricket to achieve that feat and only the second batsman in international cricket to do so. The left-handed batsman performed the heroics in the 19th over of India’s innings while batting first against England.
No other batsman is yet to replicate this accomplishment in T20I cricket ever since. This is hence the most special of the several Yuvraj Singh records.
First player with 300-plus runs and 15 wickets in a single World Cup edition: Yuvraj Singh records
While Shakib-Al-Hasan dazzled everyone with his all-round display in the recent ICC World Cup 2019, it was Yuvraj Singh who had actually set records with both the ball and the bat much earlier.
The ICC World Cup 2011 belonged to Yuvraj Singh. India’s superstar all-rounder scored 362 runs in 8 innings at n average of 90.5 with 1 hundred and 4 fifties. He was also equally influential with his left-arm spin, plucking 15 wickets in 9 innings at an average of 25.13.
Yuvraj thus became the first man to score 300-plus runs and take 15 more wickets in a single edition of the World Cup. Out of the many Yuvraj Singh records, this one will be remembered for a lifetime.
Only bowler to take two hat-tricks in a single edition of the IPL: Yuvraj Singh records
It is hat-trick season for India in 2019 with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami both taking hat-tricks in Test and ODI cricket in the space of two months.
However, do you know that Yuvraj Singh too has achieved this feat? He did this twice, in fact. That too in just one edition Indian Premier League (IPL). While representing the Kings XI Punjab, Yuvraj took two hat-tricks in the 2009 edition of the IPL – one against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban and the other against the Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg.
This rare feat was the first instance of a bowler taking two hat-tricks in the same edition of the IPL. No other bowler has been able to reproduce it yet.
Yuvraj Singh records – The Fastest T20I fifty:
En route to his record-smashing six sixes in the T20I World Cup 2007 match against England, Yuvraj also achieved another special milestone. He reached his 50 in that innings in just 12 balls – the fastest ever by a batsman in T20I cricket.
In fact, 12 years since that historic day no other batsman has been able to break Yuvraj’s record. The only batsman who came really close has been Mirza Ahsan of Austria who got to his half-century in 13 balls against Luxembourg in August 2019.
Second most sixes for India in T20Is: Yuvraj Singh records
When in flow, Yuvraj Singh could smash any bowler out of the park for ginormous and breathtaking sixes. He did so several times in his limited overs career and found his way into the record books as well.
Yuvraj hit 74 sixes in his T20I career – the second most by an Indian player. Rohit Sharma, with 107 sixes, is ahead of him in that list (he is also the batsman with most sixes in T20Is).
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Records
Yuvraj also hit 153 sixes in ODIs and is in the top-five list of India’s six-hitters.
Yuvraj Singh records – Highest strike-rate in a T20I innings for India:
In the match where Yuvraj scored the fastest T20I fifty against England at the 2007 World T20, Yuvraj was eventually dismissed for a sensational 58 off only 16 balls with 3 fours and 7 sixes at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 362.50.
That strike-rate has remained the best by an Indian batsman in T20I cricket.
Youngest Indian to score a 50 in an ICC event:
Yuvraj Singh’s maiden heroic in international cricket is well-known – he smashed a wonderful 84 off 80 balls against Australia in the ICC Knock-Out 2000 in Kenya as a gifted youngster. It was the first time Yuvraj was batting in international cricket and he was only 18 years and 300 days at that time.
With that fifty, Yuvraj became the youngest Indian batsman to score a fifty in an ICC event. Before him, it was Sachin Tendulkar who held that landmark with his unbeaten 54 against Pakistan in the 1992 World Cup when he was just 18 years and 315 days old.
Also Read: Five Players Who Can Replace Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh records – First player to score a half century and take a five-wicket haul in a World Cup match:
Yuvraj Singh owned the World Cup 2011 and with it broke and achieved several records. One of those came in the game between India and Ireland at Bengaluru. Yuvraj shined for India both with the ball and the bat to win the team the game.
Yuvraj took 5-31 with his left-arm spin in 10 overs to restrict Ireland to 207. Then, after India were reduced to 100-4 in the chase, he scored a patient unbeaten 50 off 75 balls to take India home by five wickets.
With that performance, Yuvraj became the first cricketer ever to claim a five-wicket haul and score a half-century in a single World Cup match.
Only player to win the Man of the Series awards in both U-19 and senior 50-over World Cups: Yuvraj Singh records
Yuvraj Singh and World Cups is a rather fascinating love story. As has been mentioned above, Yuvraj was the hero of the ICC World Cup 2011 both with the bat and the ball and was adjudged the Man of the Tournament for his splendid efforts.
However, a little-known fact about Yuvraj Singh’s World Cup romance is that he was also the hero of the ICC U-19 World Cup 1999-00. Yuvraj scored 203 runs with the bat and took 12 wickets to be declared the Player of the Tournament.
Yuvraj thus is the only player to have won the Man of the Series awards at both the senior and U-19 World Cups. This is quite a rare milestone indeed.
Clearly, Yuvraj Singh had plenty of special records to his name. What are your favourite Yuvraj Singh records? Comment below.