‘I was so furious that …’: Yuvraj recalls his iconic 6 sixes

NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh‘s iconic six sixes still remain fresh in everyone’s memory after 17 long years, and the man himself hasn’t forgotten an inch of that epic moment when he smacked England pacer Stuart Broad half a dozen times out of the park.
While recalling that historic feat in a video interview with ICC, Yuvraj said, “In the last couple of innings I didn’t do well so I was very keen to get out there and get some big hits and some kind of form.It was the 19th over and I had to swing everything.
Freddie (Andrew Flintoff) bowled two really good balls actually and on the last ball of the 18th over I took a single. (Few words were exchanged between the two of them). And I was just like. I am sorry, what did you say? Obviously I was angry then the umpire came in. Anyways I was furious. I was so furious that I just wanted to hit every ball out of the ground. The first ball went out of the park. I remember hitting this one without even realising how big that hit is.”
When the anchor asked Yuvraj that after hitting four sixes to Broad, do you have six sixes in mind at that point? To which he replied after taking a big breath,” No, I have actually five sixes in my mind since I was hit for five sixes by Dimitri Mascrenahas in the final over of the 2007 Oval ODI. It was very demeaning as well. You don’t want to get hit for five sixes. I had been in this place and getting hit for 5 sixes is not a good feeling.
I was like Dimitri was standing at deep mid-wicket and Flintoff was at deep square leg. I know where he was standing. Here what happened was Broad actually switched to over the stumps at the last moment. When he did that, in my mind I was like I knew where he was going to bowl. I was ready that it was going to be a full yorker towards my legs, and I just wanted to get my bat on it.”

On being nervous before the sixth and final six, Yuvraj said, “I was not nervous at all. He (Broad) was the one who was nervous as I can see his body language. If you will see there was a smile on my face at that moment, and that smile was for Dimitri. I normally bat at No. 4 and MS Dhoni at No. 4 and after I hit the final six, MS said to me that everytime you come out to bat after me your strike rate is double.
The great thing about Freddie is he talked about it after the game and shook hands, and that is why I have a lot of respect for Flintoff. (On Broad) I think that was a big moment of his career because he knew from here on he had to add more variety in his bowling. He just can’t come and bowl yorkers. He has to bowl slower balls, bouncers. Obviously he was young and learning as well. And from there on he went on to take 600 Test wickets. I don’t think without this moment, he would have ended up with 600 wickets. This moment probably made him work harder and realise how important it is to succeed. Definitely this is the moment that made him a legend.”
“Ya, this was one of the iconic moments and I cherish it but if we wouldn’t have won the World Cup, it wouldn’t have been that special I guess,” concluded Yuvraj.
Yuvraj’s blistering innings came to an end when he was caught at long-on off the penultimate delivery of the final over, having amassed a stunning 58 runs from a mere 16 balls. His explosive performance proved decisive, as India went on to secure a 20-run victory.