RSWS: India Legends reach final after clinching thriller over West Indies Legends
The first semi-final of the Road Safety World Series was exciting as one could expect. It was a game that people would remember for a long. The Indian side scored 218 runs in their 20 overs and for a large part of the game, it seemed like West Indies were going to chase it down. The game was alive till the very last over and India managed to win to secure a spot in the finals.
The match started off with the Caribbean side winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Sent in to bat, India started off with a bang. Virender Sehwag was the aggressor while Sachin Tendulkar played the supporting role.
However, post-Sehwag’s dismissal, Mohammad Kaif who was the new man in and he struggled to time the ball. The Master Blaster quickly realized this and took matters into his own hands. His knock of 65 runs off 42 balls included six boundaries and three sixes. He reminded the world that even at this age he is among the best.
What a Comeback in Last 3 overs! ?
Brain Lara played top notch inns,yet
West Indies Legends a few runs fall short of the targetIndia Legends are gonna play in the Road safety World Series final ?⚡#RoadSafetyWorldSeries2021 pic.twitter.com/y3Y3fj7dXA
— Ankit Mukherjee (@mukherjeeankit1) March 17, 2021
Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj Singh power India to a total of 218 runs
The top order had done well and now it was time for the finishers to do their job. Yusuf and Yuvraj did this to perfection. While Pathan scored 37 runs in 20 balls, Yuvraj finished with an unbeaten 49 off 20 balls. He smashed Mahendra Nagamootoo for four sixes in one over to refresh the memories of his six sixes in 2007. India scored 72 runs in the last five overs to reach a score of 218/3 at the end of their 20 overs.
It was a mammoth run chase but the West Indies side gave a very tough fight. Dwayne Smith was once again at his best and threatened to take the game away from the Indian side. He scored 63 runs in 36 balls to give his side a superb start. Narsingh Deonarine played a brilliant support knock scoring 59 runs off 44 balls. Post Smith’s dismissal he too started attacking.
The West Indian captain Brian Lara could finally be seen at his best as he scored 46 runs off 28 balls including four boundaries and two maximums. With 32 runs needed in the last three overs, it seemed like the Caribbean side would come out victorious. However, Vinay Kumar bowled a brilliant penultimate over where he took two wickets conceding only seven runs. A good final over from Irfan Pathan meant that India won the game by 18 runs.
