Yuvraj shines as India thrash England
Posted on Nov 14, 2008 at 09:51 | Updated Nov 15, 2008 at 16:14
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Rajkot: Yuvraj Singh marked his return to form with a swashbuckling unbeaten 138 as India recorded its biggest victory by runs against England by spanking the hapless visitors by 158 runs in the series-opening cricket one-dayer here on Friday.
After rattling up a record total of 387 for five at home, he hosts then bundled out England for 229 in 37.4 overs in a lop-sided contest to take a 1-0 lead in the seven-match series.
India's previous best victory margin by runs against England was 86 at Sydney in 1985 and their biggest margin is 257 runs against Bermuda at Port of Spain in 2007.
Yuvraj's ninth ODI hundred spurred India to post its second-highest ODI total ever -- well behind their 413-5 against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup but ahead of its previous home record of 376-2 against New Zealand in 1999.
Clobbered by the in-form Indian bastmen, the English attack conceded more runs than ever in one-dayers, surpassing the 353-6 against Pakistan at Karachi in 2005. India's highest previous total against England was 329-7 at Bristol in August 2007.
Yuvraj defied a troublesome back to roar back into form in great style as he plundered runs at will, belting as many as 16 boundaries and six sixes during his 78-ball massacre.
The dashing Virender Sehwag (85), Gautam Gambhir (51), Suresh Raina (43) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39) were the other notable performers after England captain Kevin Pietersen put India in to bat on a belter of a track at the Madhavrao Scindia stadium.
England could never really recover from a disastrous start as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals with only Pietersen standing bravely amidst the ruins with a
belligerent 63 and Ravi Bopara (54 not out) hitting some lusty shots.
But with the asking rate climbing steeply, the game gradually slipped out of England's reach even before the halfway stage of the game.
The two teams will now travel to Indore for the second match to be played on Monday.
Yuvraj, batting with a belt around his waist and with Gautam Gambhir as his runner for the major part of his dazzling knock, reached his hundred off just 64 balls with 11
fours and four sixes, narrowly missing out on overhauling Mohammed Azharuddin's 62-ball century record.
The 26-year-old batsman, struggling in Ranji Trophy after a poor run in the Challenger Series prior to this tie, got to his second fifty off only 22 balls with six fours and two sixes. His effort powered India to its best-ever score at this ground, overtaking New Zealand's 349 for nine made against hosts in November 1999.
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Total Comments: 6
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Posted By gapriyan
hi yuvi
a Friday treat sing is king
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Posted By joyelpetra
we are the best.
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Posted By nan12345
Hi Yuvi,
We enjoyed your batting immensly and look forward to seeing you perform like this in future
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Posted By jayabharathwaj
Yuvraj has been released today. It is Friday after all.
Ball-ywood release!
Yuvraj Song not Singh.
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Posted By kannan87
Gear up Pietersen,this is not South Africa,its India.We just now beat the world champions 2-0.
Good Start for India
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