NEW DELHI: Three years ago on this day, swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh became the fifth Indian cricketer to play 300 One-Day Internationals for the country.
He achieved the feat during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal against Bangladesh at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
He then joined the club of greatest Indian batsmen Mohammad Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
Later on, in 2017, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also featured in his 300th ODI and became the sixth Indian cricketer to reach the milestone.Recalling his 300th ODI cap for Men in Blue, the retired all-rounder took to Twitter to thank his former captain Sourav Ganguly and the selectors who believed in his skills and brought him in the Indian side.
"I think we should all thank @SGanguly99 and the first batch of my selectors for giving me this opportunity!" Yuvraj wrote.
Yuvraj did not get the chance to bat or bowl in his 300th ODI as India first restricted Bangladesh at 264/7 in 50 overs and then comfortably chased down the score in 40.1 overs.
Opener Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli had an unbeaten 178-run stand for the second wicket. Rohit amassed 123* including 15 fours and a six while Kohli smashed 96 unbeaten off 78 balls studded with 13 boundaries. Rohit was awarded Player of the Match for smashing a century.
Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan played a knock of 46 run before he was picked by Mashrafe Mortaza in the 15th over.
India qualified for the final but lost against arch-rival Pakistan in the summit clash at The Oval in London.
On June 10, 2019, Yuvraj announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The stylish left-handed batsman called time on his career after having almost 20 years of experience in international cricket.
The Chandigarh-born cricketer captured the imagination of world cricket with his gravity-defying fielding abilities and effortless power-hitting.
A career that spanned over 304 ODIs, 58 T20Is, and 40 Tests, Yuvraj imprinted his place as a player who could pretty much win matches for his side either through his electric fielding, deceiving bowling or fierce batting.
Big events brought out the best in him - be it his international cricket entry at 2000 ICC Champions Trophy, the mind-numbing batting exhibition at inaugural 2007 World Twenty20, or the all-round performance at 2011 World Cup.