Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored a hundred for India after the age of 35 — six times. At Cuttack on Thursday, there were two additions to that list — MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. But while Dhoni’s entry was not all that surprising, since he had been in thick of international action, the return of Yuvraj was nothing short of inspirational. First, he won the battle against a rare form of cancer. Then, he went through the domestic grind, hitting 672 runs in five Ranji Trophy matches this season, to claw back into the one-day team. In between, there was his marriage to model Hazel Keech. And then came the crowning moment this afternoon after India were 25 for three in the second ODI against England. WATCH VIDEO | Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni Power India To 381/6 Against England Yuvraj’s 150 runs off 127 balls in India’s total of 381 for six in 50 overs, with 21 fours, three sixes and a strike rate of 118.11 has also virtually ensured that his comeback run will include the ICC Champions Trophy in June. Brought back to the T20 fold return, Yuvraj’s return was on shaky ground even though he had performed reasonably well in the Asia Cup and World T20. And at 35, no one gave him much of a chance to take the next step to the one-day team, where he had not marked attendance since December 2013. But then, India’s new ODI skipper Virat Kohli had a quiet word with the selection committee to give Yuvraj that last chance. “We cannot leave so much burden on MS (Dhoni) alone in the middle-order,” said Kohli. Yuvraj faltered in the first ODI in Pune but found his feet in Cuttack. Amid the panic of those early wickets, he waited until Jake Ball, the young fast bowler, was brought in. Ball had earlier spoken about banging the ball in to rattle the Indians. The plan was a time-tested one but this time, he chose the wrong surface to put it into play. Yuvraj hit three fours in that first over and got in the groove. A couple of drives against Liam Plunkett attested the return to his vintage best, as he stitched together a 256-run fourth wicket partnership with Dhoni, who stood like a rock at the other end. This was Yuvraj’s first ODI hundred in six years, after the 2011 World Cup, when he had scored 113 against West Indies. “I have been hitting the ball well in the domestic season. I had a word with (batting coach) Sanjay Bangar. I told him the way I am hitting the ball, I will go big,” he said during the innings break.
