DLF League

Not content with smashing back-to-back hundreds, Yuvraj Singh promptly took 4-28 with his left-arm spin to inspire India to victory over England by 54 runs in the second one-day international at Indore and a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series. Man of the match for the second game in a row, Yuvraj removed Owais Shah and Matt Prior in quick succession, then got rid of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen in the same over as England briefly threatened to chase down India’s 292-9. King Midas could hardly have done a more glittering job.

Just as telling as Yuvraj’s four wickets were their timing. After England lost Ian Bell to the sixth ball of their reply, crazily run out as he chanced an imaginary off-side single to Suresh Raina, Prior and Shah took the score to a good-looking 102 before Yuvraj pinned Shah in front, pulling at a quicker ball, moments after the batsman had received assistance for cramp.

In his next over, Yuvraj removed the increasingly stodgy Prior, who had also been struggling with cramp and needed Bell to run for him in the latter stages of his innings, but now missed an attempted cut aimed at another quicker ball to depart for a 64-ball 38. And Yuvraj might have had a third wicket almost immediately when Flintoff, on four, appeared to edge one to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, only for Amiesh Saheba to rule there had been no contact.

The reprieve looked costly while Flintoff and Pietersen were taking 59 in five overs of powerplay, a spell which included three Flintoff sixes in an over from Harbhajan Singh. But Yuvraj returned to the attack to trap the dangerous Flintoff, hit on the back thigh as he missed a sweep, and then bowled a strangely out-of-sorts Pietersen through the gate three balls later to reduce England to 184-5.

Yuvraj’s exit was the cue for Harbhajan’s entrance. Paul Collingwood was caught and bowled as he drove too early, before Ravi Bopara was well caught at short midwicket by a tumbling Raina in Pathan's first over. Samit Patel followed three overs later, caught at the fourth attempt by a juggling Gautam Gambhir at deep midwicket as he slog-swept Virender Sehwag, who then had Steve Harmison stumped in his next over.

And when Sehwag bowled Stuart Broad for 22 four balls later, England were all out for 238. India’s spinners had taken all nine of the wickets to fall to bowlers; England’s spinners managed a single scalp and ten overs between them. That, plus Yuvraj’s all-round excellence, was the difference.

KEY MOMENTS

0.6 – WICKET – Bell run out (Raina) 1 (3 balls) – England 6-1

10.2 – England 50 (Prior 19, Shah 30)

11.4 – 50 stand between Prior and Shah

21.1 – Shah 50 (66 balls, 7x4, 1x6)

22.4 – England 100 (Prior 37, Shah 53)

23.1 – WICKET – Shah lbw b Yuvraj Singh 58 (78 balls, 8x4, 1x6) – England 102-2

25.5 – WICKET – Prior b Yuvraj Singh 38 (64 balls, 4x4) – England 109-3

33.6 – England 150 (Pietersen 19, Flintoff 25)

34.6 – 50 stand between Pietersen and Flintoff

37.2 – WICKET – Flintoff lbw b Yuvraj Singh 43 (35 balls, 4x4, 3x6) – England 183-4

37.5 – WICKET – Pietersen b Yuvraj Singh 33 (49 balls, 3x4) – England 184-5

39.5 – WICKET – Collingwood c and b Harbhajan Singh 2 (6 balls) – England 187-6

41.1 – WICKET – Bopara c Raina b Harbhajan Singh 3 (5 balls) – England 191-7

43.1 – England 200 (Patel 9, Broad 3)

44.4 – WICKET – Patel c Gambhir b Sehwag 20 (25 balls, 1x4, 1x6) – England 222-8

46.2 – WICKET – Harmison st Dhoni b Sehwag 6 (7 balls, 1x4) – England 233-9

46.6 – WICKET – Broad b Sehwag 22 (11 balls, 3x4, 1x6) – England 238 all out