Yuvraj Singh, the World Cup-winning former India all-rounder, has decided to return to cricket in February “on public demand”, more than two years after retiring. 

He made a surprise late-night Instagram announcement on Monday, sharing a clip of his final century for India, a 150 against England in Cuttack in January 2017, as well as a message regarding a possible comeback.

“God decides your destiny !!On public demand i’ll be back on the pitch hopefully in February ! Ain’t nothing like this feeling! “Thank you for your love and wishes, mean a lot to me ! Keep supporting IND it’s our team and a true fan will show his or her support in tough times,” Yuvraj Singh wrote.

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Yuvraj Singh has been a member of the Indian squad in every edition of the T20 World Cup until the most recent edition. India’s start to the T20 World Cup 2021 hasn’t been the best, with two back-to-back losses. If India is to go to the semifinals, they would have to rely on the support of the other teams, which will not be easy and Yuvraj urged Indians to show their support to the team.

The swashbuckling all-rounder, who was named player-of-the-tournament at the 2011 World Cup, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019. Earlier this year, he competed in the Road Safety World Series and the Abu Dhabi T10 league. 

After making his debut in October 2000, Yuvraj played 304 One-Day Internationals and 40 Tests for India, scoring 8,701 and 1,900 runs respectively. 

With his left-arm spin bowling, he also took 111 ODI wickets. The all-rounder has played a key role in a number of notable Indian wins. He is well remembered for his six sixes off Stuart Broad at the inaugural T20 World Cup.

There were also rumours that he may come out of retirement to play domestic cricket for Punjab, and he was even included in the 30-man list of probables for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2020-21, but he did not play. This would be welcome news to fans who would be delighted at his return.