VISAKHAPTNAM: Yuvraj Singh struck a rollicking unbeaten 95 as India provided the final touches to their World Cup preparation by recording an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the last cricket one-dayer to clinch the series with a 2-1 margin. After restricting the visitors to 259 for seven built around Chamara Silva’s maiden century, the Indians relied on a record unbroken 145-run fourth-wicket partnership between Yuvraj and Sourav Ganguly (58 not out) to overhaul the target with as many as six overs to spare. Yuvraj, who was laid low by a knee injury for nearly three months, proved his fitness and form beyond doubt by unleashing an array of breathtaking shots during his 83-ball knock while Sourav Ganguly maintained his sequence of impressive scores which helped the hosts surpass the Lankan total without much fuss on a good batting strip. The young Robin Uthappa set the tempo for the run chase by blazing his way to a 37-ball 52 and Virender Sehwag also showed signs of returning to form with 46 before he threw away his wicket with some casual running between the wickets. The series triumph will serve as a morale booster for the Indians before going into the March-April mega event in the Caribbean where they are clubbed with the Sri Lankans in the same group in the preliminary stage. Put into bat after a delayed start due to a wet outfield, the Sri Lankans recovered from a top order collapse to post a competitive 259 for seven in 47 overs with Silva doing the bulk of the scoring with a heroic unbeaten 107.

Comments (0)

Print

Tell friend

Top

---