#OTD: Yuvi scripted history with 6 sixes vs Broad

• India beat England after Yuvraj Singh hit 6 sixes in an over off Broad .
• Yuvraj's 12-ball fifty powered India to 218/4 in the crucial group stage match.
• India won by 18 runs and later won the 2007 T20 World Cup under Dhoni.

The inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 was a special one for the Indian fans in many ways. Coming as an underdogs with some of the big players deciding to withdraw their name from the T20I

format, India stunned everyone under MSDhoni’s captaincy to emerge as the first-ever champions of the T20 World Cup. There were several moments during the tournament that are still etched in the history of the T20 World Cup. One of the historic moments came during India’s clash against England where Yuvraj Singh smashed six sixes in an single over.

After losing their previous match against New Zealand, India were scheduled to face England in Durban on September 19, 2007, in their next fixture in group E. India needed to win this match to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the semi-finals. The Men in Blue had an impressive start in the crucial T20 World Cup fixture Gautam Gambhir (58 off 41) and Virender Sehwag (68 off 52) put up an opening partnership of 136 runs in 14.4 overs. However, India went on to lose two wickets quickly in the next couple of overs. After that, Yuvraj Singh took charge of the innings.

Yuvraj Singh punished Stuart Broad with six sixes in the 19th over

Coming to bat at the score of 155/3 after 16.4 overs, Yuvraj Singh looked set to finish the Indian innings on a high after he smashed a boundary on the second ball of the innings. After that, the left-hander hit back-to-back fours against Andrew Flintoff in the 18th over. Looking unhappy after conceding consecutive boundaries, Flintoff came sledging towards Yuvraj which led to a heated banter between both players. The on-field umpire also had to intervene to sort the matter.

However, Yuvraj Singh wasn’t looking in mood to settle things and it was Stuart Broad who got the punishment for his teammate’s sin. After the end of the 18th over by Andrew Flintoff, Yuvraj Singh was on strike from the first ball of the 19th over by Stuart Broad, and smashed the English pacer for six sixes in an over. Filled with anger after an altercation with Andrew Flintoff, Yuvraj punished the former's teammate by smashing every delivery of his over out of the park, and became the first player to hit six sixes in an over in the T20Is. Overall, he was the second player to achieve this milestone in international cricket after Heschelle Gibbs who was first to achieve this feat by smashing six sixes in an over during the ODI World Cup in 2007.

 

Yuvraj Singh also completed his half-century in just 12 balls, which was the fastest-fifty in T20Is at that time. With the help of Yuvraj Singh’s 58(16) runs, India posted a mammoth total of 218/4 and went on to win the match by 18 runs. India went on to become champions of the 2007 T20 World Cup, the first-ever champions in the tournament history.