20 January,2017 06:42 AM IST | | PTI
Limited overs stalwarts Yuvraj, Dhoni roll back the years to smash scintillating centuries to help India secure series-sealing win
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Cuttack: Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned the clock back with a batting masterclass as the old warhorses' twin tons powered India to a 15-run win over England in the second one-day international to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here yesterday.
Coming into bat with India struggling at 25 for three, Yuvraj and Dhoni brought into play their years of experience to not only bail the team out of trouble, but also propel them to a formidable 381 for six in the stipulated 50 overs.
In reply, England fought to the end with captain Eoin Morgan leading the chase with a swashbuckling century, only for his side to fall short narrowly at the Barabati Stadium. Needing 22 off the final over, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept his nerves and conceded a mere six runs, even as triumphant skipper Virat Kohli punched his fist in the air in jubilation.
Despite being set a mammoth target, England were in the game as long as Morgan was in the middle, but bowler Jasprit Bumrah put paid to the visiting side's hopes when he ran out the England skipper at the non-striker's end after he backed up too far. Invited to bat, Yuvraj (150 off 127 balls) and Dhoni (134 off 122) forged a record 256-run partnership to put their team in a position of strength from a precarious one.
Yuvraj was on fire from ball one and hammered 21 fours and three sixes in his career-best knock in ODIs. The southpaw could not have silenced his detractors in a better way as got to his 14th ODI hundred.
