Often, a spark of genius or an act of madness may change the course of a match. Yuvraj wouldn't claim to be a genius, nor did he act like somebody who'd lost his bearings, but scripted an innings which will surely rank among India's finest in ODIs.Ricky Ponting had vowed that his team would play fearlessly, but it's Yuvraj who did just that and helped knock the champions out of the World Cup.At 187 for five in the 38th over, still requiring 74 to make the potentially heart-stopping semi-final against Pakistan, India were under pressure.Yuvraj, though, took charge and batted in the manner favorites should.MoM for the fourth time in seven matches, Yuvraj remained unbeaten on 57 (took two wickets too). With him was Suresh Raina, who rediscovered the art of being a finisher.Fittingly , the winning runs came from Yuvraj, who clouted Brett Lee for a boundary and sank on his knees. For the next 30-odd seconds, he was uncharacteristically emotional.But, then, those were moments to cherish."It's going to be the match of this World Cup," Yuvraj helped give it that status and, in the process, crossed 8,000 runs in ODIs.Tonight, Yuvraj added a touch of mystery by saying he'd been playing "for a special person", whose identity would be revealed if India made the April 2 final.He added: "This is the moment I'd lived for ever since I started playing cricket...."(Sachin Tendulkar, The Master, completed 18,000 during the course of his 53.) So, it's balle-balle in Chandigarh/Mohali and time for its variants elsewhere in the country. Powered by a billion and more, the "Go India Go" mantra has worked.Australia had been taking home the World Cup from 1999 and, so, it's more than a lasteight win for India. The champions fought hard (one won't forget a bleeding Lee getting medical attention and quickly returning to the park), with Ponting producing a gem of an innings. However, 260 for six was a good 25 runs short of being more than a competitive total.We're devastated.... We came with great expectations.... It's premature to think it's the end of an era in Australian cricket. We were up against a very good Indian side. They deserved to win," Ponting said.India needed to lift their game, to justify their pre-tournament billing as the hottest contenders, and they did so admirably .Now, for India, it's one down and two to go.Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj and Ravichandran Ashwin (what an asset he is) played their part with the ball, backed by a passionate fielding performance. At a conservative esti mate, 15 runs were saved.The fielding, in fact, left even captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni pleasantly surprised.Then, Sachin, Gautam Gambhir (stupidly run out on 50), Yuvraj and Raina did their bit with the bat. There were periods of tension, yes, but all's well that ends well."More than the skills aspect, it was a mental thing (towards the end).... Yuvraj was electrifying," Dhoni acknowledged.Looking ahead, to the March 30 semi-final in Mohali, Dhoni said: "It doesn't get any better... India and Pakistan in the semi-final of a World Cup hosted by the subcontinent....
"There will be more pressure on us, not from inside, but from the outside. People will say win the semi-final, we don't care about the final....its the cup that counts desire to win by performing and excel in all departments of the game better then you opponents keeps you winning handling the pressure not succumbing to it can Team India win the next two games my heart n mind says it can if the use their variable optimizing at the right moment.
in reference to: Dina Kundoo's Photos | itimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
"There will be more pressure on us, not from inside, but from the outside. People will say win the semi-final, we don't care about the final....its the cup that counts desire to win by performing and excel in all departments of the game better then you opponents keeps you winning handling the pressure not succumbing to it can Team India win the next two games my heart n mind says it can if the use their variable optimizing at the right moment.
in reference to: Dina Kundoo's Photos | itimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
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