INDORE: Yuvraj Singh, recovering timely from his persistent back niggle, struck another splendid hundred, snared four wickets and impelled India to a 54-run triumph over England on a dual-paced pitch at the Maharani Usharaje Cricket Trust Ground on Monday. Whoever doubted his fitness, and until the hundred in Rajkot his technique and temperament, were wholly floored again.
Apart from a dodgy start, when Broad and Andrew Flintoff were in full flow, Yuvraj steadied himself and was in absolute control of his strokeplay. If a clip that raced to the fine-leg boundary bolstered his morale, a six hoisted over midwicket in Flintoff ’s same over (9th) heralded his intentions but his 122-ball 118 was mellow by his standards.
Alongside Gautam Gambhir, whose maturity is burgeoning by every outing, Yuvraj engineered a resurrection after Stuart Broad’s controlled spell of aggression stifled India to 29 for 3 in eight overs.
Both Gambhir and Yuvraj deployed a measured approach unlike the trio who made an early exit, after Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had opted to bat first. Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma were culpable of prematurely executing their shots. But in fairness, Broad’s variation and persistence contributed to their undoing.
Deemed the most promising of England’s crop of young fast bowlers, his off-cutter accounted for Sehwag, whose attempted tap to third man dismantled the timber. Raina, who got off the mark with an extravagant cover-drive later ballooned to Patel, stationed at short square leg. Four overs later, Sharma was snared at mid-wicket.
Runs flowed all the more freely once Steve Harmison replaced Broad, and later when Patel and Collingwood took over. Interestingly, Pietersen’s off-breaks attained more turn and was England’s most effective slow bowler (five overs for 20 runs). Gambhir, who was subdued till then, charged to Harmison and chipped him over mid-wicket. The fourth wicket partnership was worth 134.
Though Yuvraj lost his partner, who had completed 1,000 runs in the calender year, revealed his intentions to go berserk with a six over extra cover off Pietersen.
Soon after he fashioned his 10th ton (107 balls), he pushed the accelerator and struck successive boundaries off Flintoff in the 43rd over. But his dismissal next over - caught behind off Broad - impeded India’s progress in their third powerplay. However, Yusuf Pathan’s late burst--50 off 29 balls--propelled India to a challenging 292.
Any hope of England hunting down the target, hinged on a solid opening partnership.
But Raina foiled England’s prospect with the run out of Ian Bell. Owais Shah and Matt Prior ensured a steady recovery with the duo putting on 96 runs for the second wicket. But Yuvraj’s twin strike jolted England’s thrust.
Flintoff threw caution to the wind after the settlement phase. He struck four sixes off Harbhajan (three in an over). Pietersen was content playing the second fiddle, until he waltzed RP Singh for two boundaries.
England was back in the fray.
But the day was so much Yuvraj’s that he hardly put in a wrong foot. Back for his second spell, he trapped Flintoff - failing to connect bat to a slog sweep - in front and castled Pietersen with the penultimate ball. And when Harbhajan obliged a return catch of Collingwood, India had won half the match. The rest of the English batsmen simply faltered, though Broad displayed his batting prowess with a pacy 22 off 11 balls. Unlucky that Broad splendid bowling effort went futile, but the Yuvraj enigma continues to haunt England.