Back with a bang
The weather was grey, but splashing blue on the day was the India A team, which was led from the front by Yuvraj Singh. In a rain-curtailed match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday, the hosts won the series opener against West Indies A by 77 runs.
The focus on the day was clearly on one man and a hurricane Yuvraj (123, 89b) ensured that the spotlight remained on him, but shared it with two other standout performers — a sublime Mandeep Singh (67) and all-round Yusuf Pathan (70 n.o & 2/47)
The match which was delayed by an hour-and-half due to wet outfield owing to overnight rain, was reduced to 42-overs-a-side, but that didn’t stop the Indian batsmen from lighting up the stadium whipping up a huge 312/4.
In reply, the Windies folded up for 235 in 39.1 overs with only Narsingh Deonarine (57) and Ashley Nurse (57) waging a battle in what was always going to be a losing cause.
Wearing the Indian blue for the first time in more than seven months, a different Yuvraj came out to bat. Fitter, leaner, faster between the wickets and surely more mature as a player, the 31-year-old took time to find rhythm.
With the West Indies bowlers bowling tight and the fielders leaving no gaps, the southpaw struggled to open up, to the extent that his first boundary came only off the 38th delivery he faced. Just as the threatening clouds began to make way for the sun, Yuvraj too chiseled the blade, with his 60-ball half-century.
Post that, Yuvraj and Pathan punished the Windies bowlers, feasting on a Sunday brunch of boundaries and sixes. What once looked like a formidable visitors’ attack started to fall apart and the fielders turned sloppy.
Smacking Miguel Cummins over long-on for his first six when he was on 33, Yuvraj looked possessed as he ushered in his hundred with a magnificently struck straight six over the sight screen off Ronsford Beaton.
As India cruised towards the 300-mark, Nkrumah Bonner ended Yuvraj’s fluent flow which included eight boundaries and seven hits over the ropes, when the Chandigarh dynamite mistimed a full toss from the 24-year-old while trying to slog it over long on and it ended up safely in Beaton’s hands.
That did not put the breaks on India’s scoring, especially after butterfingered Andre Fletcher’s dropped Pathan at deep midwicket, three balls after Yuvi’s dismissal and his team paid dearly as the 31-year-old all-rounder finished with a flourish.
Earlier, Unmukt Chand was sent packing early by Cummins, but 21-year-old Mandeep Singh played a mature 78-ball 67 to give the hosts, a slow yet steady start along with opener and local lad Robin Uthappa (23) initially, before Yuvraj joined the party.
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