Yuvraj guides India to victory over Ireland

Yuvraj guides India to five-wicket victory

Yuvraj held centre-stage with a match-winning unbeaten 50 in a pressure situation after scalping five with his much improved left-arm spin earlier in the day.

 

 

 

He eased into strokes in front of the wicket with the flow of a natural. Yuvraj Singh also displayed a heart that complemented his large frame.

 


Indeed, Yuvraj held centre-stage with a match-winning unbeaten 50 in a pressure situation after scalping five with his much-improved left-arm spin. Focussed and committed, he had also banished self-doubts, the biggest scourge of them all.
At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, here, on Sunday, Yuvraj lived a World Cup dream in the cauldron as India defeated a spirited Ireland by five wickets in a hard fought Group `B' match.
He embraced history by becoming the first cricketer to come up with a five-wicket haul and score a half-century in the same match of a World Cup. Man of the Match, Yuvraj certainly was.
The pitch played differently from the ones for the earlier games here and the pursuit of 208 was a tricky one. The surface was dual paced – a few deliveries stopped before meeting the bat while some others hurried after pitching. Batting demanded application.

 


Ireland fought hard. The bowling was accurate and the fielding sharp. Every run had to be earned.
Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni coped well with a stressful situation. The left-right duo batted straight, milking the bowling before launching into the odd big blow.
However, Ireland continued to chip away. Dhoni (34) was trapped leg-before by a delivery that held its line from left-arm spinner George Dockrell.