Yuvraj Singh rolled his arms to claim three wickets and then came up with an unbeaten
21-run cameo against All India Public Sector (AIPS) to propel Indian
Airlines to the final of the 31st Raghubir Singh Hot Weather Cricket Tournament
here today.
After skittling out the defending champions for 179 runs in 37.5 overs, Indian
Airlines cruised to 180 for one in just 26.5 overs, which now pits them against
the star-studded ONGC, which has Virender Sehwag in the ranks, in the final
on June 2.
Left-arm spin duo of Yuvraj and Kuldeep Singh scythed
through the AIPS top order, sharing six wickets among them after Indian Airlines
had opted to field first.
Captain Vijay Dahiya (85) and Manish Sharma (70
not out) then put together a 143-run opening stand in just over 20 overs and
then Yuvraj's run-a-ball knock sealed the issue.
Dahiya, adjudged Man of the Match, needed just 56 balls for
his blistering knock, which included 15 hits to the fence. Manish's 70 came
off 83 balls that included five boundaries and three sixes.
Yuvraj sparkled in his brief innings and was specially harsh
on Yogesh Sachdeva, hitting the spinner for two boundaries -- hitting
one through mid-wicket and driving one through extra cover. He also had something
for the enthusiast crowd as he waltzed down the track to hoist a Sachdeva delivery
over the bowler's head for a huge six.
Earlier, with the ball also, Yuvraj had a fruitful outing.
He earned an important breakthrough by luring Anshul Kapoor (38) out of the
crease to get him stumped and then castled Niranjan Behera (0). In his next
over, Yuvraj induced Paras Dogra (3) to offer him a straight catch for his third
wicket. Yuvraj's bowling figure read 8-0-29-3.
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