Friday Fights | The Big ODI Fight - Yuvraj Singh vs Suresh Raina

Yuvraj Singh is definitely one of the giants of modern-day cricket, and for India, he was the genie who offered so much. From the dominance in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup to turning a messiah in the 2011 World Cup, Yuvi was at the centre stage of it all to enhance his cult status. On the other hand, Suresh Raina, a veteran of 226 ODIs, was a massively underrated cricketer, mainly because of his inconsistency and struggle with a particular kind of delivery.

Two massive performers for the Indian cricket get the bout off with a cheeky one. The most important of them all, the one that determines legacy has Yuvi ahead of Uttar Pradesh pocket dynamite by a whisker. Raina answers his average with 35.31 to 36.55 - a close one indeed.

ROUND 2 -> AVERAGE IN FOREIGN CONDITIONS: Yuvi scampers ahead

In this round of the bout as well, Yuvi musters enough momentum to smash Raina fair and square. With an average of 35.77 on the foreign soil, the former India middle-order batsman stays ahead of his compatriot by 4.76 runs. Phew. It gets interesting.

ROUND 3 -> AVERAGE IN HOME CONDITIONS: Hat-trick for Sher-e-Punjab

Raina seems to be running out of steam here. Oh God! Yuvraj, whose home ODI average stands at 41.64, is well ahead of Raina whose 36.32 average at home doesn’t help his cause. Things would have been much better here with a Raina masterclass, but think we have to wait further.

ROUND 4 -> AVERAGE IN NEUTRAL VENUES: Raina counter punches like a pro!

Wow! This is some fightback from Suresh Kumar Raina! Able to pin Yuvi on the mat in this round of the bout and how! His neutral venue average of 43.90 is well ahead of Yuvi’s minuscule 30.86. Nothing more to add here. Absolute fun this bout is turning out to be!

ROUND 5 -> AVERAGE IN MAJOR TOURNAMENTS: Raina punches back

We all remember Yuvi as the master of big stages. But has that really been the case? Well, we decode. In the major events, including the World Cups, Champions Trophies and the Asia Cups, the Punjab batsman averages 41.96 but Raina triumphs him with +3.46 to secure a perfect 10 here. Can he make a hat-trick here?

ROUND 6 -> STRIKE RATE: Relentlessness is Raina’s name and game

Yuvi was one of the most attacking batsmen of his time but so was Raina. After Yuvraj’s triple 10, Raina makes a colossal comeback in the Strike Rate round. With 93.50, he is ahead of compulsive lofter Yuvi, who lags behind at 87.67. This is like a myth buster, wasn’t it? 

ROUND 7-> 50 TO 100 CONVERSIONS (in %): Cometh the hour, cometh the man!

You always trust Yuvi to give it back with elan and give it back he did in the seventh round of the bout. An England basher throughout his career, the Punjab southpaw converted his 50s to 100s a cool 21.21% of times to leave Raina reeling at 12.19%. Maybe due to bat at a lower position but that is a story we’ll discuss some other day. 

ROUND 8 -> No of 50 plus scores with 120+ SR - Action has equal and opposite reaction!

This is staggering as both Raina and Yuvraj are attacking batsmen and played numerous cameos. But this tops it all as the duo from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have similar numbers of 50 plus scores with 120+ SR and that is 14. Talk about coincidence!

ROUND 9 -> NO OF 50s IN WINNING CAUSES: Ah, That was ruthless from Yuvi!

Well, we know Yuvraj Singh as one of the greatest Indian match-winners in the 50-over format and that shows up in this round, with his 39 50-plus scores in winning causes being 10 better than Raina’s 29. It is insanely beautiful how well Yuvraj contributed to India’s wins in the past. Raina is no pushover but it is like the difference between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

ROUND-> 10 - NO OF 100s IN WINNING CAUSES: Peek-a-boo!

This is really disappointing from the CSK man. Yuvi flattens him and possibly ensures a win no matter the result in the following rounds. With 11 centuries in winning causes, the Punjab batter triumphs in all possible scenarios, with Raina having only 6. 

ROUND 11 -> NO OF 50+ SCORES IN SUCCESSFUL CHASES: Singh is King!

Singh continues to be the king and hope fades away for Suresh Raina. In the face of 24 KG punch, which is even better than a Sachin punch through cover, Yuvi runs away with the bout, with the UP boy reeling with 15. Inevitable, inevitable!!

Final Round -> AVERAGE IN ICC KNOCKOUT MATCHES: This is staggering!

Wait, what??? Was it Yuvi who was running with the bout or has there been some game left? I can see Raina average exactly 50 in the knock-out games of the ICC events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy leaves Yuvi, with 43.12 average, way behind. Is there a chance there? Let’s calculate the points. 

AND THE WINNER IS - YUVRAJ SINGH BY ONE POINT

This was some crazy bout and the stadium is filled with noises of Yuvi fans making a roar to give a salute to the grandee of Indian cricket. Incredible scenes, but Raina is dejected for going down by one point. He has helped Chennai Super Kings win many a game in the IPL with sheer will power but this has to hurt!

We never thought this would be the case, did we? We all thought Yuvraj Singh was the unanimous winner, which he was, but not the run-away one by any means. With this cracker, we bring an end to this edition of Friday Fights. Hope you enjoyed the madness. Keep checking the space for more updates.