On this day in 2009: Yuvraj Singh’s 131 demolishes West Indies
Yuvraj Singh was in the prime of his life between 2005 to 2009 having emerged as a match-winner for India with his outstanding all-round skills especially with the bat. He was arguably the backbone of the Indian middle-order and showcased match-winning performances on countless occasions.
Meanwhile, it was on this very day in 2009 that the southpaw destroyed a helpless West Indies in an all-important One Day game at Kingston Jamaica. India had toured the Caribbean islands after a demoralizing 2009 T20 World Cup campaign where they failed to defend their title.
When Yuvraj Singh’s pyrotechnics blew West Indies away
The West Indies and India locked horns in the first One Day International at the Sabina Park. Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. The Men in Blue were troubled early on after being reduced to 32/2 having lost Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma.
Opener Dinesh Karthik then got company in Yuvraj Singh as both steadied the Indian ship from ensuring that they did not suffer any further collapse. The duo added 135 runs for the third wicket and even when Karthik was dismissed for 67, Yuvraj carried on and scored an outstanding century.
The southpaw seemed unstoppable before being dismissed by Dwayne Bravo for a blistering 131 runs from 102 deliveries. After his dismissal, captain Dhoni contributed with 41 and finishing touches from Yusuf Pathan (40*) and Harbhajan Singh (21) powered India to a stiff total of 339/6.
It appeared as if the total would prove to be well beyond the reach of the West Indies, but that was not to be as the hosts showed a great intent and did not wish to go down without a fight. The top-order batters including the likes of skipper Chris Gayle (37), Runako Morton (42), Ramnaresh Sarwan (45), and, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (63) laid a solid foundation for the Windies.
Unfortunately for the hosts, the middle-order could not chip in with any impactful knocks as their momentum was completely derailed from the chase and crucial wickets at regular intervals opened up the floodgates for India.
The West Indies were eventually bundled out for 319 in the penultimate over with pacer Ashish Nehra accounting for a dangerous Denesh Ramdin to help India register an impressive 20-run win and take a 1-0 lead. Yuvraj Singh was adjudged the Player of the Match for his whirlwind century that completely changed the complexion of the game.
