On this day: Yuvraj Singh ended Australia's hopes in 2011 WC
Mar 24, 2021
New Delhi [India], Mar 24 : It was on March 24, 2011, when India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's heroics ended Australia's hopes of winning a fourth consecutive World Cup title.
In the match, India defeated Australia by five wickets to reach the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
This was India's first Cricket World Cup win over Australia in 24 years. Before this game, Australia had defeated India five consecutive times in the ODI World Cup.
In the quarter-final of the showpiece event the defending champions, Australia put on 260 runs on board in their allotted 50 overs.
Chasing 261, India had a decent start as openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar put on 44 runs for the first wicket. However, Sehwag (15) got out in the ninth over.
Tendulkar along with Gautam Gambhir stitched together a fifty run stand. Both Tendulkar and Gambhir played cautiously and hit half-centuries before getting out.
In the chase, India kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, Yuvraj and Suresh Raina's 74 run stand ensured that India won the match with 14 balls remaining.
Yuvraj played an unbeaten knock of 57 runs from 65 balls. He smashed eight fours, including the winning boundary.
The 2011 World Cup was memorable for Yuvraj as he was named the Player of the Tournament.In the World Cup, Yuvraj scored 362 runs and took 15 wickets. MS Dhoni-led India had won the World Cup after a span of 28 years.
