Shoaib Malik recalls Yuvraj Singh's kind gesture post Pakistan's CT 2017 triumph

Shoaib Malik recalled what his long-time on-field rival and good friend Yuvraj Singh had told him after Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph over the then defending champions India in London. Pakistan, who were the eighth-ranked ODI team then overcame all odds to beat the Men In Blue in the tournament-decider at the Oval by a mammoth 180 runs. Pak had earlier lost to India in the group stages by a whopping 124 runs. 

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'I remember': Shoaib Malik

While speaking to a publication, Malik went on to say that it was a great feeling to win another ICC trophy but, he has another memory that is very special to him. Recalling that moment, the veteran all-rounder mentioned that after the final at The Oval against India he and Yuvi sitting in the dining hall and having a chat and that is when the southpaw had told Malik that his team-mates are celebrating and that he should not miss out on such a special moment as even he should celebrate with all of them.

Both Yuvraj and Shoaib were also part of their respective squads when the arch-rivals had locked horns against each other in ICC World T20 2007 final in South Africa where India had overcome Pakistan in an edge-of-the-seat thriller by five runs. Malik had led the Men In Green while the ex-middle-order batsman was at the peak of his career back then.

When Pakistan won their maiden Champions Trophy title

Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl first. His decision seemed to alright for a while as Pakistan were off to a slow start. However, the turning point of the match came when Fakhar Zaman got a reprieve after he was caught behind by MS Dhoni off Jasprit Bumrah only to learn that he had over-stepped. Zaman made full use of this opportunity as he scored a splendid 114 and the Men In Green posted a stiff total of 338 on the board after 50 overs.

Chasing a huge target of 339 to retain their title, the Men In Blue's top-order including the likes of Rohit Sharma, skipper Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan were sent back to the pavilion early on as India never recovered from the initial setback and were eventually bundled out for 158. Even though Hardik Pandya played a valiant knock of 76 where he had hit leg-spinner Shadab Khan for three consecutive sixes, the match as a contest was already over by then after the Virat Kohli-led side were reduced to 72/6. 

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