Yuvraj Singh and Bollywood actress Hazel tied the knot in a glittering ceremony in Chandigarh today.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 1Yuvraj and Hazel got married at Dera Hanswali gurudwara near Chandigarh today
- 2Yuvraj and Hazel will also have a Hindu wedding in Goa on December 2
- 3PM Narendra Modiis expected to attend the reception in New Delhi on December 7
Star cricketer Yuvraj Singh on Wednesday got married to model-turned-actress Hazel Keech at a Gurudwara in Fatehgarh Sahib, which is 50 kms from Chandigarh. The wedding is to be followed by a reception party which will be held at the same hotel where the Indian cricket team is staying.
The main wedding function, held at Dera Hanswali gurudwara near Chandigarh, included family and very close friends. The reception however, will be attended by members of the Indian cricket team, who were in Mohali for the third Test against England which they won with a day to spare. The players, including skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble, were present at a star-studded mehendi and sangeet ceremony yesterday evening where they had a gala time.
The wedding ceremony in Punjab will reportedly be followed by a Hindu wedding in Goa on December 2. This ceremony is set to take place at a farm house in Goa again where limited guests have been invited for a lunch reception. Sangeet and reception will be held again in New Delhi on December 5 and December 7 respectively. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the reception in the capital.
UNSUNG HERO
Yuvraj, who has fallen out of favour with the national selectors, last played an international match in March this year, during the World T20 at Mohali. He has been in tremendous form in the Ranji Trophy this season, scoring 672 runs in five matches at 84.00 with two hundreds and as many half-centuries.
Yuvraj, one of the greatest players for India in the limited-overs format, was part of the batch of players who prospered under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly and then came into his own under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with whom he formed a formidable partnership in the middle order.
Yuvraj broke into the international scene after being named the Player of the Tournament in the 2000 Under-19 World Cup held in Sri Lanka. The Southpaw was then immediately drafted into the national side for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000 where he smashed a match-winning 84 in his debut against Australia in Nairobi and caught the attention of the world thereafter.
He has since played 293 ODIs scoring 8329 runs at 36.37 with 13 centuries and 51 fifties. In 55 T20 internationals, Yuvraj has amassed 1134 runs at 29.07 with eight half-centuries. The longest format is where he had his shortcomings but still managed to score 1900 runs in 40 Tests at 33.92 with three hundreds and 11 fifties.
NATWEST FINAL MAGIC
Yuvraj has batted in the middle-order for the better part of his career and finished numerous games almost single-handedly. He played a stellar role in India's victory in the NatWest Series final against England at Lord's in 2002. India were reduced to 146/5 chasing 326, when Yuvraj got together with Mohammad Kaif and the duo stitched a match-winning 121-run partnership for the sixth-wicket which eventually helped India register one of its greatest ODI wins in history.
SIX-MACHINE vs STUART BROAD
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Yuvraj was at his explosive best in the World T20 in 2007. |
One of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball in the modern era, Yuvraj became the first batsman in T20I history to smash six sixes in an over as he hammered England pacer Stuart Broad all around the Durban stadium in the quarterfinals of the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007. As a result of his exploits in that match, Yuvraj created a world record of scoring the fastest fifty (off 12 balls) in T20Is which is yet to be broken. India went on to win the tournament beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.
WORLD CUP GLORY
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Yuvi and Dhoni went berserk after the latter's six to finish the World Cup final in 2011. |
But the crowning moment in Yuvraj's career came in the 2011 World Cup which was jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Yuvraj, who loves to perform at the biggest stage, scored 362 runs in 9 matches at a staggering average of 90.50 with one century and four half-centuries. He also went on to pick 15 wickets in the tournament including two in the final played at the Wankhede as India scripted a famous victory in the summit clash and lifted the World Cup after a gap of 28 years. Yuvraj was named Player of the Tournament which further enhanced his reputation as one of the greatest talents unearthed from this country.
FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
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The whole country prayed for Yuvraj when he was suffering from cancer. |
Then came the biggest shock of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer. A rare germ-cell tumour was located between his two lungs which was there when he was representing the country at the World Cup.
It was during that time when he would wake up in the middle of the night and would find it difficult to breathe and used to cough immensely. He immediately headed to the United States after the tournament ended for treatment and rehabilitation. In March 2012, Yuvraj was discharged from hospital after completing the third and final cycle of chemotherapy and returned to India in April.
RETURN OF THE PRINCE
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Yuvi got a standing ovation when he came out to bat in his comeback match after cancer. |
Being the fighter that he is, Yuvraj fought against all odds, won his battle against cancer and made an emotional comeback to the Indian side. He played in the second T20I against New Zealand in Chennai which India lost by one run.
He bowled two overs for 14 runs, took a catch, and scored 34 runs off 26 balls in that match as the crowd cheered and gave him a standing ovation.
Even though Indian cricket fans miss watching Yuvraj play, he will always remain an inspiration for us all. We as fans hope to see one last hurrah from the fighter on the cricket field wearing the blue jersey. But for now, we wish him all the best for the most important innings in his life.
Congratulations Yuvraj Singh!