OTD 2004: Yuvraj Singh smashes 139 against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground in VB series

Indian cricket is arguably on top right now with plenty of brilliant players in the setup who have gone on to win several matches for the team. One of the iconic heroes of Indian cricket in the early 2000s was swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh who was known for his ability to play impactful innings against big teams in international cricket.

One of Yuvraj’s favourite opponents in international cricket was Australia against whom he played some fine knocks. Yuvraj scored two centuries and seven half centuries against them in international cricket especially when they had one of the best pace attacks in the game.

Perhaps the most memorable of his knocks was in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals where Yuvraj took India into the semifinals with a match-winning half-century. However, January 22, 2004 was another day when Yuvraj displayed his destructive side against the Aussies.

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Australia, Zimbabwe, and India were involved in a tri-series. This was the seventh match of the same which was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). India had lost skipper Sourav Ganguly, Parthiv Patel, and Rahul Dravid early and it was up to Yuvraj Singh to form a partnership with VVS Laxman to get the scoreboard moving. It was Yuvraj’s innings that stole the show as he smashed a brilliant 139 from just 122 deliveries, striking at 113.93. His innings included 16 fours and two sixes as he smashed a star-studded Australian attack and made sure India put up a commendable total of 296/4 in 50 overs.

How did the match end? 

Despite the innings from Yuvraj and an unbeaten century from Laxman that took India to the near-300 total, the Indian team eventually lost a close game which went down to the final over. Due to rain, the match was shortened to 34 overs at one stage and the Aussies needed 225 runs to win the game. Australia were eight wickets down and needed 11 runs in the last over and they chased it down with one ball to spare, winning the game by two wickets. 

Yuvraj deservingly was adjudged the player of the match for his knock but the innings by Adam Gilchrist cannot be ignored. The keeper-batter scored a wonderful 95 from 72 deliveries to keep the Aussies in the game and get them close to the score.