Yuvraj Singh on November 2 made a surprise announcement that he will return to playing cricket in February. "On public demand ill be back on the pitch hopefully in February!" he posted on Instagram, and went viral.

The cricketer had announced his retirement in 2019, last representing India on the international stage in 2017.

Here is a timeline of Yuvraj’s epic career.

2000

Yuvraj Singh first debuted in the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, facing off against Kenya in the pre-quarterfinals. While Yuvraj did not get to bat in the match, he bowled four overs, conceding 16 runs. In the semi-finals, Yuvraj faced off against Australia, scoring 84 runs off of 80 balls winning India the match and himself the Man of the Match award.

2001

In the Coca-Cola Cup in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj proved his all-round capability when he took eight wickets at an average of 27.

2002

Yuvraj made his return to domestic cricket, participating in both the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy. His performance in the ODI series against Zimbabwe saw the all-rounder score 75 runs from 52 balls to help India reach a total of 333 in their 50 overs in the final match and 80 off just 60 balls in the previous match.

2003

Yuvraj’s performance in the earlier matches of the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa faltered but his performance improved considerably in the latter half of the tournament.

Also read: Yuvraj Singh arrested in alleged casteist remarks case, released on bail: Haryana police

2005

After his performance against Zimbabwe, Yuvraj had a patch of poor form. He broke his downer spell with his incredible performance in the 2005 Indian Oil Cup, scoring 192 runs in four matches and getting his third ODI century.

2006

While Yuvraj performed well in the ODI portion of the India-Pakistan tour series, his performance remained disappointing in the Test format.

2007

Recovering from an injury, Yuvraj was selected in the 15-man Indian squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. His performance in the final game, where he remained unbeaten at 95 off 83 balls, led to India winning World Cup.

Yuvraj was also the vice-captain of the Indian squad at the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, where in the match against England he scored six sixes in an over, reaching the fastest 50 in a T20 game. His performance, apart from the final, was stellar and was instrumental in India lifting the first T20 trophy.

Yuvraj was named as part of the World ODI XI in 2007, 2008, 2009 by either Cricinfo or the ICC.

2011

Yuvraj had the best tournament of his life in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. He scored 362 runs, one century and four fifties, taking 15 wickets, bagging four Man of the Match awards and becoming the Player of the Tournament.

Soon after this, Yuvraj suffered a health scare. After complaining of nausea and bouts of vomiting blood, he was diagnosed with stage-1 cancer in his left lung.

2012

In March 2012, Yuvraj completed his final round of chemotherapy. He was selected for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 where he impressed with his bowling skills but was not able to recreate success with the bat.

Later, in the series against Pakistan, he found his magic touch, scoring 72 off just 36 balls.

2013

Yuvraj was able to mostly return to form in the limited-overs T20 format but still faced frustration in the ODI format. His lack of form resulted in him being dropped for future ODI series.

2014

Selected for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, Yuvraj hit a speedy 60 off 43 balls innings against Australia.

2015

Yuvraj’s lack of form in ODI format led to him to being dropped from the 2015 Cricket World Cup’s proposed India squad.

2017

Yuvraj was selected for the ODI series against England, after a notable performance in the Ranji Trophy. His return to ODIs marked a return to the format after a long absence. Yuvraj scored his career-best score of 150, which came off 127 balls in a 256-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Mahindra Singh Dhoni, and was awarded the Player of the Match.

However, later in the year, Yuvraj was dropped from the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2017 which marked his final international appearance for the Indian team.

2019

Two years later, Yuvraj finally announced his official retirement from international cricket.

"I would say I am extremely lucky to play 400-plus games for India. I would've not imagined doing this when I started my career in cricket. Through this journey, some matches that remain in my memory are -- the 2002 NatWest series final, my first Test hundred in Lahore in 2004, the 2007 Test series in England, of course the six sixes and the 2007 T20 World Cup. And then the most memorable one was the 2011 World Cup finals,” Yuvraj said in a press conference.

"And then, probably the worst day in my career, was the 2014 World T20 final against Lanka where I scored 11 off 21 balls. It was so shattering that I felt my career was over,” he added.

2020

After being released by the Mumbai Indians, Yuvraj found himself without a team ahead of the 2020 IPL tournament.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)