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Yuvraj Singh, Ojha do the star turn for India

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha grabbed 4-21 as defending champions India overpowered Bangladesh by 25 runs in the World Twenty20 here on Saturday.
Gautam Gambhir hit 50 and Yuvraj Singh cracked a blistering 41 off 18 balls as India scored 180-5 after electing to bat in blustery conditions at the overflowing Trent Bridge.
Ojha then returned the best figures in the competition so far as Bangladesh faded after a rousing start to finish with 155-8 at the end of their 20 overs in the group A match.
Left-handed Gambhir, who began by cutting the second ball of the match from Mashrafe Mortaza for a boundary, held steady at one end for 17 overs before falling to off-spinner Naeem Islam.
But it was the other left-hander Yuvraj who set the innings alight with three boundaries and four sixes in a knock that included 19 runs in the 17th over bowled by Naeem.
Yuvraj's blitz helped India plunder 59 runs in the last four overs to set Bangladesh a tough victory target of just over nine runs an over.
The Tigers made a rollicking start in reply, scoring 74 runs by the eighth over for the loss of two wickets.
Opener Junaid Siddique led the early charge with 41 off 22 balls that included two fours and three sixes.
Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, playing his first competitive match in a month due to a shoulder injury, was smashed for 20 runs in his first two overs.
The Hyderabad-based Ojha turned the game around with two wickets in his first over, the ninth of the innings, including that of Siddique who was caught in the deep by Harbhajan Singh.
Ojha, who had removed Shakib Al Hasan with his first ball, later had Mohammad Mahmudullah caught by Yuvraj and bowled Mashrafe Mortaza to effectively end Bangladesh's challenge.
Naeem, who took two wickets in India's innings, made 28 off 17 balls in the final overs to narrow the margin of defeat.
Naeem's bowling effort was, however, overshadowed by left-arm spinner Shakib, whose four overs cost just 24 runs for one wicket.
India's rising star Rohit Sharma put on 59 for the first wicket with Gambhir by the eighth over when he was bowled by Shakib for 36 after surviving a stumping chance off the previous delivery.
Sharma, who opened the innings in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, smashed three boundaries and two sixes during his 23-ball innings.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) helped Gambhir add 53 for the second wicket, but when he was bowled by Naeem in the 15th over, India only had 112 runs on the board.
Yuvraj took charge at that stage, pulling the spinners and seamers alike hard and high, to help India make a winning start in the 12-nation tournament.
Bangladesh play Ireland next at Trent Bridge on Monday, while India take on Ireland on Wednesday at the same venue.

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