Yuvraj Singh's 3 best bowling performances across formats

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh turned 41 on Monday, December 12. He had an illustrious international career, especially in white-ball cricket. The southpaw is fondly remembered by Indian fans for his pivotal contributions to the nation's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup triumphs.

Although Yuvraj was primarily a batter, he was a handy part-time bowler. He picked up 148 wickets across formats and was utilized well by the captains he played under. The all-rounder's left-arm orthodox spin could deceive some of the best batters in world cricket.

On his birthday, let's highlight his top three bowling performances across formats in international cricket.

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#1 4/28 vs England, Indore, 2008 (ODI)

India won the toss and elected to bat first against England. However, the hosts lost three early wickets. Yuvraj (118) and Gautam Gambhir (70) then stitched together a crucial partnership, followed by a masterclass from Yusuf Pathan (50) in the death overs, helping India post a competitive total of 292 runs.

Yuvraj then starred with the ball as well. He dismissed four out of England's five top-order batters - Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Kevin Pietersen, and Andrew Flintoff. The visitors collapsed from 102/1 to 191/7, with the all-rounder being the wrecker-in-chief with the ball.

This was arguably Yuvraj's finest all-round performance in the 50-over format. His exploits helped India win the game by 54 runs and take a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.

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#2 2/44 vs Australia, Ahmedabad, 2011 (ODI)

This was one of the most important matches for Team India at the 2011 ODI World Cup. They faced Australia, a team that had won 34 consecutive games in the 50-over World Cups since 1999. The stakes were extremely high and MS Dhoni and Co. had to step up in the crucial fixture.

Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. Yuvraj got India two extremely crucial breakthroughs - Brad Haddin (53) and Michael Clarke (eight). He also kept the run rate in check, conceding just 4.4 runs per over.

Yuvraj starred with the bat as well, scoring 57* and taking India home. He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round exploits.

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#3 2/16 vs Pakistan, Colombo, 2012 (T20I)

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first in the high-voltage 2012 T20 World Cup fixture in Colombo. Rivalry aside, it was an extremely important game for both teams in the context of the tournament, which was also Yuvraj's first since he made a comeback to cricket after fighting cancer.

The bowling conditions were conducive for spinners and Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuvraj were India's most crucial bowlers in the game. The duo kept Pakistan's run rate under check while also taking wickets on a regular basis.

Yuvraj dismissed Nasir Jamshed and Kamran Akmal in back-to-back overs. The double blow never really allowed Pakistan to get back into the game. They were dismissed for 128 runs, with India chasing down the target comfortably, as Virat Kohli scored a brilliant 78*.

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