On this day in 2007, Yuvraj Singh gave world cricket one of its most unforgettable nights. India were up against England in Durban during the inaugural T20 World Cup, in what was a must-win game after a loss to New Zealand. The stage was tense, the stakes were high, and out walked Yuvraj, who would turn a verbal spat into history. India had got off to a flying start thanks to Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, who added 136 for the opening wicket. But the game’s story changed after Robin Uthappa’s dismissal. Yuvraj walked in, already fired up, and things boiled over when Andrew Flintoff exchanged words with him. Yuvraj did not back down, and the fiery moment lit a fuse. Stuart Broad was next to bowl, and what followed is cricket folklore. The first ball of the 19th over was smashed 111 metres over midwicket. The second went soaring over square leg. The third was sent miles back again. Broad tried a full toss, only to watch it sail into the stands. The fifth delivery went the same way. By the time the sixth ball disappeared over long-on, Broad was stunned, Flintoff silenced, and Yuvraj had made history as the first player to hit six sixes in a T20 international.Click here to watch the video. In the process, Yuvraj reached his fifty in just 12 balls, a world record for the fastest in T20Is. That mark stood untouched for 16 years until Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee smashed a 9-ball half-century against Mongolia in 2023. Yuvraj’s blitz had taken India from 171 to 207 in just one over, and they went on to post 218 before sealing victory by 18 runs. Yuvraj was not the first to do it internationally. Earlier that same year, Herschelle Gibbs had achieved six sixes in an over during the ODI World Cup against the Netherlands. But Yuvraj’s feat carried a different weight. It came against much quality opponents, with India’s future in the competition on the line, and with emotions running high. And for Yuvraj, there was also a personal twist.Just weeks earlier in an ODI, England’s Dimitri Mascarenhas had hit him for five consecutive sixes in the final over. The memory lingered, and in Durban, Yuvraj delivered his reply to England on a bigger stage.
