Internet Desk: Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, playing in his 300th ODI, was awarded with a memento from his very first skipper Sourav Ganguly ahead of the game.
A special presentation for @YUVSTRONG12 ahead of his 300th ODI for #BANvIND #CT17 pic.twitter.com/n6Noy5elp9
— ICC (@ICC) June 15, 2017
Yuvraj’s career thrived under Ganguly, who was the captain of the Indian cricket team when Yuvraj made his debut in 2000. Yuvraj also believes that Ganguly played a pivotal role in his rise as a player.
“My favourite captain was Sourav Ganguly. I learnt a lot from him and my career flourished under him the most. He infused the feeling in us that we could win a series abroad,” said Yuvraj.
Ganguly, who was more of a friend than a strict captain was a constant support system for the left-handed Punjab batsman through thick and thin.
Sourav Ganguly’s new India core comprised Yuvraj, Zaheer, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.
On the verge of becoming the fifth Indian cricketer to have played 300 ODIs, the 34-year old veteran of 299 one-day internationals follows the footsteps of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid to the milestone when he clashes against Bangladesh in the semi-final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
To this day, Yuvraj stays as motivated about contributing to India’s success as he was in his very first match.
“It is a big achievement for me to complete 300 games for India. When I started playing I was just happy to play for the country. Been a long journey and there have been a few ups and downs. Not looking to do anything extraordinary, just contribute to the team’s cause. The team is bigger than my landmark,” Yuvraj said on the sidelines of Team India’s practice session ahead of the semi-final.