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Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh came to the Caribbean as the most in-form and off-colour Indian batsmen, respectively, from the rigours of the IPL. But the left-handed duo have many things that bind them, mutual respect, to name one. One of Raina's idols, Yuvraj, once impressed by the former's fielding, gave him a stump as a token of appreciation. Raina still has it in his living room.
On Sunday morning at the Beausejour stadium, Raina played what could be described as a Yuvraj-like innings, striking a match-winning century (101 off 60 balls), that included a brutal late onslaught, helping India register a 14-run victory over South Africa and leave St Lucia with a clean slate in the World T20 so far.
In a match where both sides fumbled with the ball and in the field the South African chase seemed to be following the route the Indians had taken to post 186 for 5. Both teams shrugged off a wobbly start and while India were 111/2 after 15 overs, South Africa stood at 110/1 at a similar stage. For India, Yuvraj and Raina stitched together 88 runs for the third wicket in 62 deliveries, while Smith and Kallis added 97 off 65 for the Proteas.
But Raina proved to be the difference in the end as he plundered a majority ofthe 75 runs that India scored in the last five overs. In the same period, his IPL team mate Albie Morkel tried and even hit the biggest six in the tournament 104 metres but 51 runs from the last three overs was too much to ask for; South Africa could muster only 172 for 5 in their quota of 20 overs.
Bowling at death
The younger Morkel, AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher pulled off a few lusty hits and brought the equation to 24 off the last six balls. That's when Ashish Nehra proved his worth as a death-over specialist, delivering a series of toe-crushers and picking up a wicket to make it a comfortable looking effort in the end.
Earlier, Yuvraj and Raina's association was chiefly about rotating the strike and specific attention was given to the on-side. Yuvraj regained his lost touch with a flick off Albie Morkel that went sailing 78 metres over the square-leg. His 30-ball 37 had three hits to the fence.
But it was Raina who made the South Africans pay for their inaccurate and less than inventive bowling. He did ride on his luck initially, caught off a no ball from Morne Morkel when he was on five, and escaped a run out chance on 48 when Yuvraj didn't respond, but the throw went wide.
Billed as a small-ground bully, Raina responded by becoming the tournament's first centurion a 59-ball effort that could be rated as his best ever.
Rory Kleinveldt bore the brunt when Raina dispatched him for three boundaries and a six in his last four deliveries. He departed soon after crossing the three-figure mark, but Dhoni did well to take India to a defendable total. South Africa tried their best, with Kallis continuing his good form with a 73, but the target proved too much in the end.
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