These 7 iconic unforgettable cricket moments will bring back your childhood memories

Remember when our fathers turned on the Television at night to see a cricket match and 8 years old you would sit next to him, wondering what was going on? Why only two batsmen were there, where were the rest of the players in their team, why were everybody scattered in the field etc. Well, I was quite confused about the concept of cricket at the age of five and always kept asking my dad; how many balls were left and how many runs they made, and he patiently explained them as well. Not to my surprise, cricket became one of my favorite sports. Although I don't play it, I love watching it on TV and still have these 7 iconic moments from the early 2000s fresh in my memory.

1. Mr. Singh's iconic 6 sixes

The former India all-rounder’s iconic 6 sixes remains fresh in the memory after 17 years.  India was batting on the last day and had to bat more than 35 overs to draw the match. Men in blue were 6 wickets down, Sachin was on strike and then came Mr. Yuvraj Singh on the field to bat alongside.

The duo played well and created a solid partnership. The Englishman, Stuart Broad came to bowl to the furious hero, and in the 18th over, the man repeated history and smacked 6 consecutive skyscraping sixes. This marked one of the most iconic moments in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Yuvraj smashes 6 sixes at Kingsmead Stadium ICC

2. India Knock off Pakistan  (Bowl-out misery)

A unique match-decider that was witnessed for the first time.  Before the concept of Super Over came into practice to decide the winner, the concept of a bowl-out existed, which became a thing in the T20 World Cup, in 2007. Five bowlers from each side were asked to hit the stumps.

For India, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Robin Uthappa did the job with Dhoni behind the stumps, for Pakistan Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, and Shahid Afridi failed to do it. 

Indians all hit the stumps while the Pakistanis missed, and the final score was former won 3-0. This match was the only instance where the bowl-out rule was applied to decide a tied match.

Pakistan's bowl-out nightmare ICC

3. Captain Cool Grand Sixer

“Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lifts the World Cup after 28 years!” 

Does that ring a bell to you? Remember that smacking six of MS Dhoni in the 2011 World Cup’s last over, how could one get over it, and at such a stage when the match was in its final stage? India was chasing a target of 275 runs to win the World Cup. In the 49th over, bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara, India needed 4 runs to win. MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, was at the crease. All eyes were on the man in the blue jersey, as he prepared to face the Sri Lankan bowlers. 

With the scoreboard showing India at 172/4, the game was evenly balanced. The captain cool decided to finish the game in style. He struck a massive six off Kulasekara's delivery. The crowd erupted in joy as the ball disappeared into the Wankhede stadium. The Mumbai streets were full of crowds celebrating Sachin Tendulkar's dream of lifting the World Cup.

MSD's winning six ICC

4. Chris Gayle’s ‘Gangnam Style’

West Indies players are known for their extravagant celebration and excitement on the field, and what not better time than winning a World Cup trophy after a 33-year-long drought? Finally, the West Indies brought the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2012 to their home after defeating the host country Sri Lanka.

What remained the highlight of the match was Chris Gayle imitating the dance steps of Korean singer PSY from his famous number Gangnam Style. The players lit up Colombo’s stadium with the hook step.

Trivia: The defeated team forgot the shock of losing and found the dance step so fun that they joined the West Indies

Gayle grooves on Gangnam style ICC

5. When God bid adieu, 2013

The day when India wept. I remember the shimmery lights of Marine Drive Street glittering bright when lakhs of people came on the street to bid adieu to the God of cricket, none other than Sachin Tendulkar.

Fans congregated at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium to witness the man play on the field for the very last time. The crowd had an opportunity to watch the Master Blaster only once and the latter did not disappoint them. His 150 minutes batting on the crease and having scored 74 from the 118 balls that he had faced was impeccable for the fans. Millions around India switched on their television sets with heavy hearts.

Playing in hometown, Tendulkar scored 74 in his last test innings. The farewell speech was one of the best by a cricketer who brought tears to everyone’s eyes. He walked back to the pitch one last time to pay his respect, making it more memorable. With the most Tests, ODIs, Runs, Hundreds, and numerous other record-breaking feats, Tendulkar retired on November 16, 2013.

End of an era ICC

6.  Lasith Malinga’s four from four

It was on this day in 2007 that Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga reached one of the high points of his cricketing journey by picking up four wickets in four balls. In a seemingly easy-going World Cup 2007, South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka appeared a mere formality as viewers wanted the latter to win.

Sitting just four runs away from their target with half their side still intact, Sri Lanka's right-arm pacer continued his bowling attack in the 47th over. Malinga titled the entire game in his side’s favor in a space of just four balls.

The cricketer took four wickets in each of those deliveries, marking the first such instance in international cricket. Everyone was amazed in the stadium!! 

Trivia: Malinga's bowling was outstanding and brought his team very close to victory, but Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by a single wicket.

Malinga snares 4 wickets in 4 balls ICC

7. IPL roar

I remember I was 7 years old when IPL was first introduced in 2008, and each team had come up with its music/jingle to identify with. In not much time, it garnered popularity and engagement from the audience. It was a crisis to choose between teams as my favorite batsman was in one team, but my favorite bowler was in the other. I strongly supported Mumbai Indians, but used to always wait for Chennai matches to watch Dhoni bat. 

With 8 teams competing amongst each other, Rajasthan Royals (RR) was the first team to bring the trophy home. Skippers like Shane Warne, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shane Watson were the marquee names for RR. They had defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final to clinch the title. 

Since then, the IPL fever has been on the go and has much more craze than any other tournament. It is like a massive party filled with cricket, crazy fans, and enough drama to keep your plot twists on throughout. 

ICC