0:
India Legends have added another win to their streak on Wednesday with a 12-run win over West Indies Legends in the semifinal 1 of Road Safety World Series. The game in Raipur on Wednesday started with West Indies winning the toss and opting to bowl. However, the decision backfired as India Legends got off to a great start and put a huge total on the board which eventually helped the seal the game, despite the West Indies Legends' batters playing out of their skin.
Opening the innings, Virender Sehwag smashed 35 runs off 17 balls to give the initial boost. Continuing the momentum, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar completed his half-century. Master Blaster hit 65 runs off 42 balls to further bolster the team's score. Both the players were dismissed by West Indies seamer Tino Best. Following the departure of openers, Mohammad Kaif came on, but failed to make an impact. However, dismissal of Kaif saw Yuvraj Singh set his step on the pitch and things changed from thereon. The Punjab stalwart turned out to be a nightmare for the Caribbeans as he went on to hit 4 sixes in the penultimate over and six overall to help hosts land at 218/3 by the end of the first innings.
While that may have sealed the game for many, West Indies Legends were not the ones to give up. The Men in Maroon also lost an early wicket in William Perkins but were determined to chase. It was Dwayne Smith who got Caribbeans the much-needed start with a quickfire knock of 63 runs off 36 balls before getting trapped by Yusuf Pathan. Following his departure, Narsingh Deonarine took over and scored 59 runs off 44 balls to keep the hopes alive. While Deonarine played his innings, Kirk Edwards was dismissed for a duck. However, that saw Brian Lara entering the field and taking the limelight with a rapid 46 off 28.
Although this saw the chase continue till the very end, but brilliant bowling by Indian unit helped the side bag the game. Vinay Kumar was the pick of the bowlers for Indian Legends as he scalped three crucial wickets, including that of Brian Lara, to help India defend 32 runs in the final three overs. India Legends will now face the winner of the semifinal 2 between Sri Lanka Legends and South Africa Legends on Thursday.