Yuvraj Singh survived a plumb LBW to Wahab Riaz when on around 20. Replays showed the ball hitting leg stump. No DRS. India won by 29 runs in the most watched cricket match in history. Pakistan's players complained bitterly about the umpiring.
The 2011 ICC World Cup Semi-Final between India and Pakistan at Mohali was arguably the most anticipated cricket match ever played. The two nations had not met in a World Cup knockout match since their famous 1992 clash, and the political backdrop — with both Prime Ministers attending as a diplomatic gesture — meant the game transcended sport entirely.
An estimated 988 million people watched the match, making it the most viewed cricket match in history at the time. Every decision was going to be dissected by a billion sets of eyes. The match was played under enormous pressure for both teams and both sets of umpires.
Yuvraj Singh had been the tournament's outstanding performer in 2011 — scoring runs and taking wickets at key moments throughout the group stage. His place at number four for India was crucial, and his capacity to accelerate in the middle overs was one of India's primary match-winning tools. Pakistan knew that removing Yuvraj early was one of their clearest paths to a manageable run chase.
India batted first and made a solid start with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. When wickets fell in the middle innings, Yuvraj Singh came to the crease with India needing him to anchor the middle order and build towards a competitive total.
Wahab Riaz, the left-arm fast bowler playing in his debut World Cup, was generating genuine pace and movement. He had already shown he could trouble the Indian batsmen and was one of Pakistan's most threatening bowlers on the day. When he struck Yuvraj on the pads in the twenties, Pakistan appealed loudly and the umpire — after deliberation — gave it not out.
The replays broadcast in real time to the watching world showed the ball hitting leg stump. There was no DRS available — ICC had not mandated it for this tournament — meaning Pakistan had no route to overturn the decision. Yuvraj would continue batting from a score of around 20.
Yuvraj Singh was struck on the front pad by a delivery from Wahab Riaz and given not out LBW by on-field umpire Billy Doctrove. Broadcast replays and ball-tracking technology available to television commentators showed the delivery was hitting leg stump at the appropriate height. The ICC had opted not to deploy the Decision Review System for the 2011 World Cup, meaning Pakistan could not challenge the decision. Yuvraj went on to score 57 from 65 balls, contributing substantially to India's total of 260/9. India won the semi-final by 29 runs. Pakistan's management and players were openly critical of the umpiring after the match, with the Yuvraj LBW cited as the most consequential error.
Wahab Riaz strikes Yuvraj Singh on the front pad — appeal goes up — Billy Doctrove gives it not out
Broadcast replays show ball tracking onto leg stump — commentators remark on the reprieve — no DRS available for Pakistan to challenge
Yuvraj settles and begins to accelerate — reaching his half-century from 65 balls against Pakistan's bowlers
India post 260/9 — Yuvraj's 57 a crucial contribution — Pakistan's target proves difficult on the Mohali surface
India win by 29 runs — Pakistan players and management voice frustration about specific umpiring calls including the Yuvraj LBW in post-match interviews
India innings — early
Tendulkar and Sehwag give India a solid platform — Pakistan need wickets to stay in the match
India innings — middle overs
Yuvraj Singh arrives at the crease — Wahab Riaz strikes him on the pads — not out given — replays show ball hitting leg stump
India innings — acceleration
Yuvraj scores 57 from 65 balls — India's total reaches 260/9 on a surface where 240 was a par score
Pakistan innings
Pakistan chase begins promisingly — Hafeez and Kamran Akmal give Pakistan a decent start
Pakistan innings — middle overs
India's bowlers take wickets at regular intervals — Pakistan fall behind the required rate
Match end
Pakistan bowled out for 231 — India win by 29 runs — Yuvraj named Player of the Match — Pakistan management criticise umpiring in press conference
“I thought that was out. That's what you have to deal with when there's no DRS. You just have to take it and bowl the next ball.”
“We felt we were good enough to win that match on a level playing field. Whether it was level is something I will always wonder.”
“I was just focused on batting and helping India to a big total. What the replays showed is not for me to comment on — you play on.”
“That World Cup was won and lost in moments. Mohali was the biggest moment. What happened there shaped everything that came after.”
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and several players were vocal in post-match media about their belief that the umpiring had been partisan. The Yuvraj LBW was cited repeatedly as the moment that changed the match. The ICC conducted no formal review and the World Cup moved on — India faced Sri Lanka in a memorable final that they won.
The absence of DRS from the 2011 World Cup was subsequently criticised extensively in cricket governance discussions. Several national boards — notably the BCCI — had resisted universal DRS adoption, and the 2011 semi-final became a case study in why leaving knockout World Cup matches to the unaided judgment of umpires was untenable in the television age where every viewer could see what the umpire could not.
Yuvraj Singh was given not out LBW to Wahab Riaz when broadcast replays showed the ball tracking onto leg stump. No DRS was available and the decision stood. Yuvraj scored 57 and India won by 29 runs. The decision was the most contested moment in a match of extraordinary geopolitical significance and directly fuelled calls for mandatory DRS at World Cup knockout fixtures.
The Yuvraj LBW reprieve in the 2011 World Cup semi-final is one of the most discussed umpiring moments in the history of India-Pakistan cricket. India's victory was their most significant in a World Cup knockout match for two decades and launched them towards the title. But the legitimacy of the result was immediately contested in Pakistan, where the umpiring controversy — and in particular the Yuvraj decision — became a grievance that was invoked for years afterwards.
The match accelerated the broader push for mandatory DRS at major ICC tournaments and for neutral umpires in high-profile knockout fixtures. When DRS was subsequently adopted for World Cup matches, the 2011 semi-final was cited repeatedly as the argument for why the system was indispensable.
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