Yuvraj makes a kingly comeback

Yuvraj Singh made a fairytale comeback to the Indian team as he hit the Aussies out of the one-off T20 match to give India a win by 6 wickets. Had he not played such an outlandish innings on the day when Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement, he surely would have made the headlines. This innings could be marked as a tribute from Yuvraj to the great Sachin Tendulkar.

With the pitch being predicted to be a batting paradise Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to send the visitors into bat after winning the toss. The Australians made full use of such conditions as they posted a huge total of 201 for the loss of 7 wickets. Aaron Finch was the top scorer as he made 89 off just 59 balls hitting 15 boundaries and 1 huge six. Nic Maddinson (34) and Glen Maxwell (27) also made useful contributions with the bat which enabled the Aussies to post such an imposing total. R Vinay Kumar was the best of the Indian bowlers as he finished with a respectable figure of 26/3 in 4 overs.

India had a poor start to their chase as they lost 2 early wickets in the form of Rohit Sharma (8) and Suresh Raina (19). But India managed to keep up to the required run-rate through some exquisite hitting from Shikhar Dhawan (32) and Virat Kohli (29). India reached 100 in just 11.1 overs with the loss of 4 wickets still needing more than 100 runs in less than 9 overs. In came Yuvraj Singh. He began hitting right from the word go as he made mockery of the Australian bowling attack. He picked up 18 runs in the 14^th over from Clint McKay and 20 runs in the 18^th over from James Faulkner setting up the stage for a record-making run chase for India. Yuvi was named the man of the match for this blistering innings of 77 from just 35 balls which included 8 4s and 5 huge hits over the rope.

It was only the third instance in world T20 internationals where a team has successfully chased a target of more than 200 runs. India has done it twice. On a day when the country mourned for the announcement of Sachin’s retirement, Yuvraj’s blistering knock and India’s emphatic win over Australia came as great refreshing news. It has set the tone for the upcoming One-day series scheduled to begin on October 13 at the Sahara Subrata Roy Stadium in Pune.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.