Yuvraj Singh smashes 41-ball 48 in Domestic season opener
In the opening match of Punjab's domestic season, senior pro Yuvraj Singh had to come in to bat with his team in a somewhat tricky situation. Put in to bat first, Punjab were struggling with the score at 117 for 2 in 26.5 overs. The run rate was less than 4.5 runs per over, with not much batting to follow after Yuvraj.
Yuvraj, who did not have a great outing at this year's IPL, and with a strike rate below 90 in the country's premier domestic T20 tournament, Yuvraj was expected to bat at an even lower strike rate in the 50-over format. But Punjab's senior-most cricketer not only pulled his team out of danger, but he also put them in a very comfortable position instead.
Yuvraj encouraged Shubman Gill, one of the shining stars of India's Under-19 World Cup win this year, to fire. When Yuvraj came in, opener Shubhman had crossed the 50 run mark. Yuvi gave Shubman the freedom to play his natural game, while holding the other end solidly himself. And even Yuvraj started to bat with freedom, once he was settled.
A 102-run partnership for the third wicket between Yuvraj and Shubman included 48 runs from Yuvraj and 51 from Shubhman, with three extras. But while Shubman completed his century at less than run a ball, Yuvraj maintained a strike-rate of over 110 for the most part of his innings.
With Punjab crossing 210 in the first 40 overs, both batsmen decided to attack to up the run rate. Yuvraj, the team player that he always is, attacked leg-spinner Ankit Kaushik without caring for his individual score and was caught behind. The experienced southpaw ensured that his team was in a good position and Shubman's wicket soon followed after scoring 115 off 131 balls. Punjab were well on track to post a score around 300.
Yuvraj's 41-ball 48 consisted of eight boundaries, with 78% of his runs coming from boundaries. Yuvraj batted at a strike rate of 120, before he was caught behind on his forty-first ball. His contribution, as well as his strike rate in the partnership that rescued Punjab, was as good as that of Shubman Gill.