That’s how journeys end generally in sport, as there is never a fairy tale finish unless you are Sachin Tendulkar. But for now let’s focus on Yuvraj’s golden phase.

Starting Off Well

It all started in the year 2000 when he stunned the world with his heroics in the under-19 World Cup. That’s when the Indian cricket ecosystem sat up and took notice of his talent. Yuvraj finally made it to the Indian ODI team later that year when the match-fixing scandal forced the think-tank to look for younger talent.

He announced himself in style against Australia in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy at Nairobi along with Zaheer. Yuvraj was an all-round package, left-handed batsman with power, an amazing fielder and a useful left-arm spinner.

Indian cricket finally looked like it had the perfect package in the middle-order to replace some disgraced seniors.