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When Yuvraj Singh knocked out Australia from T20 World Cup with fiery innings

Aakash Saini

Yuvraj Singh going berserk against Australia [Source: @academy_dinda/x]Yuvraj Singh going berserk against Australia [Source: @academy_dinda/x]

On this day in 2007, Indian cricket was still new to the phenomenon of T20, a format the players were only beginning to embrace. Somehow, through a touch of daring, a young Indian group led by MS Dhoni battled its way into the semifinals of the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, now staring down a side of proven champions in the mighty Australian team.

At the heart of this fearless script stood Yuvraj Singh, one of the selected few seniors of the then Indian team, who made his presence felt with a whirlwind of audacious stroke-play as he tore through Australia’s famed bowling attack and turned Durban’s Kingsmead into a theatre of fearless brilliance.

When Yuvraj Singh and Sreesanth dismantled Australia’s legacy

A few days after muscling England out of the 2007 T20 World Cup with his six-hitting frenzy, Yuvraj Singh rained down on Australia bowlers in the second semifinal of the competition. Batting at number four and arriving to the crease at a precarious 41-2 in eight overs, Yuvraj needed only 30 deliveries that evening to redraw the skyline, hammering five fours and five huge sixes with such effortless fury that Australia’s aura of invincibility crumbled before the crowd could catch its breath.

Among the night’s many jolts, none hit harder than the moment when the legendary left-hander flicked a Brett Lee thunderbolt into orbit for a 119-meter six. Yuvraj Singh’s 38 minutes of mayhem propelled eventually India to a commanding 188-5 in 20 overs.

And just like that, firebrand Indian fast bowler Sreesanth took charge and dismantled the stumps of both Australian openers, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden to claim sensational figures of 2-12 in a high-scoring cracker. 

Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma and Harbhajan Singh also chipped in with timely wickets as India sealed a 15-run win in an improbable semifinal to set up a blockbuster final showdown with arch-rivals Pakistan.

That night, under the South African lights, Yuvraj Singh did not just score runs, he set the stage ablaze, leaving fans and opponents alike spellbound by 38 minutes of his unfiltered brutality.