Yuvraj Singh's cancer is curable - doctor

Yuvraj Singh's cancer is curable and the hard-hitting Indian batsman is likely to be back in training in May, a New Delhi oncologist said on Monday.

The 30-year-old was told last year that he had a golf ball-sized non-malignant tumour but that diagnosis was changed at the weekend to a condition called "mediastinal seminoma."

"Yuvraj Singh has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the United States," Dr Nitesh Rohatgi of the Max Cancer Centre told reporters.

"We are very lucky this is a seminoma. These are mostly curable with chemotherapy and ... unlikely to affect Yuvraj's career.

"His doctors in the U.S., working in collaboration with us, are confident of his recovery. Most likely Yuvraj ... will be back on the field by the first week of May."

One of the cleanest strikers of a cricket ball, the middle-order batsman is not a regular member of India's test team but is an automatic choice in their limited-over sides.

Yuvraj was instrumental in India's 2007 World Twenty20 victory in South Africa and hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in one match.

He was also named player of the tournament in India's successful 50-over World Cup campaign on home soil in February, March and April last year.

Yograj Singh, the cricketer's father, said his son was responding well to treatment.

Last month Yuvraj said on his Twitter account he was reading Lance Armstrong's 2000 autobiography 'It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life'.

"I'm sure it will motivate me and pull me through," the Indian said.

American cyclist Armstrong is one of sport's best-known cancer survivors.

The latest news on Yuvraj has triggered a wave of sympathy across cricket-crazy India with the government leading the messages for a speedy recovery. Reuters

Yuvraj battling non-malignant tumour

	Yuvraj Singh has been battling a non-malignant tumour on his lung, in addition to his on-field injuries © Getty Images

Yuvraj Singh, the India allrounder, had asked the BCCI not to consider him for selection for the ODI series against West Indies because he has been recovering from what his family has called an "illness that threatened his career," caused by an "abnormal tumour" on his lung.

According to a statement released by his mother, Shabnam Singh, Yuvraj had been troubled by bouts of coughing and vomitting during the 2011 World Cup but had ignored the problem during the tournament, "assuming it was due to stress."

When the problem persisted after the World Cup, Yuvraj sought medical advice and tests revealed "a golf-ball sized" growth on his left lung, the statement said. Initial reports had suggested that Yuvraj "had what in medical terms is called an abnormal tumor called lymphoma. The danger was, we were told, that it could be malignant."

Early medical treatment and therapy led to Yuvraj feeling better than he did during the World Cup and he "was eager to resume his India duties." However, after returning from the tour of England due to a finger injury sustained during the Nottingham Test, Yuvraj went through several rounds of tests, scans and a recent biopsy in order to ascertain the exact nature of the tumour. "Further reports have indicated that the tumour is non-malignant and non-threatening and can be treated through proper medication and therapy. In medical terms, Yuvraj is now in a much better state and on his way to a full recovery."

Yuvraj had informed the BCCI president N Srinivasan of the findings and wanted to regain his fitness. It was why he had "sought some more time ... and asked not to be considered for selection in the one-dayers versus West Indies."

In the statement Yuvraj's mother said he "did not want to rush things, wants to be 100% fit before resuming his cricket for India and has started working hard on both his fitness and his cricket. He is already preparing himself to play the one-day series in Australia."

Yuvraj was not included in the Test squad for the tour of Australia. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Dhoni, Sachin to miss opening three ODIs; Sehwag to lead

	Virender Sehwag will lead India in MS Dhoni's absence © AFP

Virender Sehwag is set to lead India in an ODI for the first time since December 2009, after the selectors decided to give MS Dhoni a break for the five-match series against West Indies.

Sachin Tendulkar was also rested for the first three one-dayers, while Yuvraj Singh informed the selectors that he was not fully fit, which means neither has played an ODI for India since their starring roles in the World Cup win. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who was dropped for the home ODI series against England and the ongoing Tests against West Indies, remains out of contention too.

Since taking over as full-time captain, Dhoni has been reluctant to miss one-day games despite his heavy workload as full-time wicketkeeper and captain of India and his IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings. In recent times, he sat out of two bilateral one-day series against New Zealand and West Indies, on either side of the World Cup. Gautam Gambhir stood in as captain against New Zealand, while Suresh Raina led an inexperienced side in the West Indies, in the absence of Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvraj.

Yuvraj's exclusion is believed to be due to a recurrence of the lung infection that ruled him out of the tour of West Indies earlier in the year. He returned to the side for the Tests in England, and made a fifty in Trent Bridge, before suffering a fractured finger that put him out of the rest of the series and England's return tour. He came back for the ongoing Tests against West Indies, but failed in the first two matches, before making way for Virat Kohli for the Mumbai Test.

The rest of the side was along expected lines, with Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar returning to complete the four-man seam attack that also included Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav. S Aravind and Abhimanyu Mithun, who were picked for the England ODIs, were dropped despite not getting a game in that series.

Pragyan Ojha missed out despite making a strong comeback to the Test side, which meant offspinner R Ashwin, allrounder Ravindra Jadeja and legspinner Rahul Sharma will be the specialist spinners.

India squad for first three ODIs: Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Rahul Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Gambhir out of entire WI tour

S Badrinath and Abhinav Mukund have been included in the Test side on the back of strong domestic performances © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India's already-depleted squad for the tour of the West Indies has suffered further setbacks: shoulder injuries to Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh's respiratory infection, and Sachin Tendulkar's wish to spend time with his family have ruled the four players out of the whole trip. Cheteshwar Pujara missed out on a chance to cement his place in the Test side as a knee injury picked up during an IPL game made him unavailable.

Expectedly, a number of uncapped players and those trying to make comebacks got their chance. Suresh Raina got a second chance at ODI captaincy in Gambhir's absence (MS Dhoni was rested for the limited-overs leg of the tour), and Manoj Tiwary and Shikhar Dhawan got a chance to add to their one ODI cap each. S Badrinath made a Test comeback, but the bigger news remained the uncapped players in the Test squad: Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund, who is almost certain to open with his Tamil Nadu team-mate M Vijay.

Mukund, a 21-year-old left-hand batsman, has impressive first-class numbers to back him: an average close to 60 over 40 matches and 13 centuries, including a triple-ton. Vijay has been an automatic choice as Test opener every time either Gambhir or Sehwag is unavailable. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman provide the experience in the middle order, which leaves Kohli, Raina and Badrinath fighting for the two remaining slots.

Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, who were picked inexplicably ahead of Abhimanyu Mithun for the South Africa tour, got the boot, making way for Munaf Patel and an extra spinner in Amit Mishra. Pragyan Ojha, who was part of India's Test squad to South Africa but missed all ODI cricket since, returned too. Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh, though, remained the likely first-choice attack.

Parthiv Patel replaced Wriddhiman Saha as Dhoni's wicketkeeping cover in the Test squad, not least because he can open the innings should Mukund struggle or should the team management not consider him ready to debut.

As expected, the selection meeting in Chennai, attended by the new coach Duncan Fletcher, was a long affair lasting more than two hours. The timing of the Test selection is surprisingly early: the first Test begins on June 20, and the selectors could have waited longer to see if any of the injuries or illnesses could have neared healing. The long recovery period associated with the injuries to Sehwag and Gambhir would have been a factor. And because of the pneumonitis in his left lung, we will never know if Yuvraj would have been considered for a Test comeback, on the back of his World Cup heroics.

In all, India are without Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Gambhir and Ashish Nehra for the ODIs. They will also have to do without Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir and Pujara for the Tests.

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt), VVS Laxman (vc), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

Limited-overs squad: Suresh Raina (capt), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (vc), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Pune finally snap losing streak

Pune Warriors 120 for 5 (Yuvraj 35) beat Kings XI Punjab 119 for 8 (Marsh 32) by five wickets

	Wayne Parnell took 2 for 12 to help restrict Punjab © AFP

Match Meter PWKXIP Dinesh Karthik and Shaun Marsh take 11 runs off Abhishek Jhunjhunwala in the tenth overto guide Punjab to 72 for 1 PW Bhuvneshwar Kumar removes David Hussey in the 15th over, soon after dismissing Shaun Marsh, to derail Punjab, who slid to 94 for 4 PW Jesse Ryder is dropped in the fourth over, and Pune's openers sprint to 30 for 0 in four overs PW Yuvraj Singh belts two sixes and two fours in the fifteenth over to nearly finish off the game Advantage Honours even

Pune Warriors finally ended their horror run of seven defeats by limiting fellow stragglers Kings XI Punjab to 119 in Mohali, a target which didn't tax their batting too much The defeat means Punjab are now putting together a losing streak to nearly match Pune's - having gone five games without a win. Legspinner Rahul Sharma was once again the standout bowler for Pune, with South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell and Bhuvneshwar Kumar aiding him in shackling Punjab.

Preity Zinta was back to cheer on her side, and the Mohali crowd had something to shout about early on as Paul Valthaty repeatedly crashed the ball through cover for boundaries. Adam Gilchrist came into this game on the back of two ducks, and he couldn't find his timing today either, swinging Rahul to deep midwicket for 3 off 8 balls. Valthaty was cramped by the lack of room, and when he was given some, he cut at it but Rahul's extra bounce meant it resulted in a top edge to backward point.

Shaun Marsh has been Punjab's best batsman this tournament, and he showed why with some lovely hits. Yuvraj Singh was dispatched over long-on, Rahul was eased through cover for four, and his younger brother Mitchell was pulled for a boundary. Dinesh Karthik wasn't as fluent, but in the company of Shaun, the pair guided Punjab to a reasonable 71 for 2 in ten overs.

That platform was wasted though as neither batsman went on to make a big score on a slightly sluggish track. A Bhuvneshwar Kumar slower ball accounted for Shaun, who dragged the ball onto the stumps, and a couple of overs later Punjab's most expensive acquisition, David Hussey, nicked to the keeper. They were floundering at 94 for 4.

Karthik couldn't quite hit top gear and there was a wicket in almost each of the final six overs as the innings fell apart to a series of attempted big hits.

Punjab's bowlers needed to be accurate and incisive if they were to stand a chance, and they began well, with a maiden from Praveen Kumar. The next three overs, though, were plundered for 30 runs, and in a match where the fielding standards were shoddy, Jesse Ryder was given a let-off by Valthaty in the fourth over. There was more fortune for Pune as Manish Pandey survived a dead-on lbw shout in the fifth over, bowled by Bhargav Bhatt, two balls after Ryder was dismissed.

Robin Uthappa came out swinging, and though they were several fresh-air swishes, he found the boundary three times to whittle down the target with a quick 22. Pandey was dismissed after a relatively quiet 28, which had two of his trademark forehand smashes down the ground. If the wickets of Pandey and Uthappa gave Punjab some hope, Yuvraj extinguished that by clubbing Bhatt for two sixes and two fours in an over. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

I have realised my dream of helping India beat Australia: Yuvi

Star batsman Yuvraj Singh today said that he has realised the dream of piloting India to a victory against defending champions Australia in the World Cup though it was very difficult to keep his emotions in check in the high-octane quarterfinal match here.


In pic: Yuvraj Singh lets out a victory cry © AFP

"Over the last one year I have been dreaming of staying till the end and taking the team to victory against Australia in the World Cup and the moment has come. This is the moment I have lived for as a cricketer," he said at the post-match press conference.

Yuvraj guided India to a sensational five-wicket victory over holders Australia with an unbeaten half century after claiming two wickets and he was adjudged man-of-the-match for the fourth time in the tournament. He admitted that it was a really tough situation with enormous pressure on him and any small mistake on his part could have thrown India out of the World Cup. "It was very hard to control emotions. It was difficult to control oneself in such a situation as one mistake and you will be out of the World Cup. I tried to just watch the ball, play down the ground and not lift the ball in the air," said the left-handed batsman.

Yuvraj said he was playing in the tournament with the thought of someone special in his life, though he did not specify the person. "I am playing for a very special person that comes in my mind and whenever things are not going well I think of that person and things work out," he remarked. He conceded that the dismissal of Gautam Gambhir, who was run out due to a misunderstanding with him, and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in quick succession had put the team under pressure but Suresh Raina lived up to the challenge and showed nerves in crucial stages. "When Gambhir got out I thought I will get a good partnership going with MS (Dhoni) but when MS got out I knew I was in trouble. When Raina came in I told him to take his time and let's get 20-30 run partnership. He has shown nerves in a crucial stage and this will boost his confidence also," he said.

He said he had already apologised to team-mate Gambhir for the mix-up that resulted in his partner getting run out today. "I have apologies to Gautam for the miscommunication on the field. We have not played together much. I think it was probably my fault," said Yuvraj. —PTI

Yuvraj sets up Pakistan showdown

India 261 for 5 (Yuvraj 57*, Tendulkar 53, Gambhir 50) beat Australia 260 (Ponting 104, Haddin 53, Ashwin 2-52, Yuvraj 2-44) by 5 wickets

In pic: Suresh Raina gives Yuvraj Singh a hug after the pair took India into the semi-final © AFP

An awe-inspiring Ricky Ponting dazzled and Sachin Tendulkar hit a delightful fifty but it was the imperious Yuvraj Singh who stole the show to lead India to an exciting semi-final encounter against Pakistan. On a dry pitch, aiding turn, India couldn't remove a wonderfully solid Ponting, but found a way around him to hold Australia to a competitive 260. Tendulkar set the base and the middle order threatened to choke, but Yuvraj played a blinder to charge India to a famous win.

Sometimes, they say, one four can change things around. That cliché came alive today, in the final ball of the 39th over, with India needing 72 from 67 deliveries, when Yuvraj spanked Shaun Tait for a stunning four over backward point. It oozed of skill, impishness and dare under fire. Until then, in the preceding few overs, India choked and spluttered badly to almost hand the game to Australia. That Yuvraj hit over point sensationally turned the game on its head.

The next over proved to be the game-breaker as Brett Lee was looted for 14 runs: Suresh Raina played the most assured pull of his life to crash the first delivery to the boundary and Yuvraj carved the final delivery over point, but it was a shot in between that really reflected the enthralling contest. It was a screaming yorker from Lee, from around the stumps, and Yuvraj crouched, opened the bat-face and stabbed it through to the third man boundary. Lee looked stunned, and you felt that was the moment when India affected the jail break.

Until Yuvraj took ownership of the chase, the pressure-cooker situation had got to India and they were beginning to choke. In five mad overs between the 32nd and 37th, just after Virat Kohli had swiped a full toss from David Hussey straight to midwicket in the 29th over, it was absolute pandemonium as India looked hell bent on self-destruction. Gautam Gambhir tried to run himself out three times and was successful on the final attempt. In the 33rd over, he ran for a non-existent run after Yuvraj had played the ball towards midwicket but Ponting missed the sticks. In the next over, he got into a yes-and-no situation with Yuvraj and would have been run out had Brad Haddin, who dashed to the short mid-on region, thrown it at the non-striker's end. Gambhir was run out next ball, again running mindlessly after Yuvraj stabbed David Hussey wide of the first slip.

India required 93 runs from 101 balls at that stage, but they slipped further into the abyss as MS Dhoni got out after looking edgy. He nearly got involved in a run out, had a big swing and a miss against Lee and perished next delivery, cutting to point to leave India needing 74 from 75 balls. It was then that Yuvraj decided to play the World Cup innings of his life.

The batting Powerplay was the final hurdle, but Raina, who gave admirable support to Yuvraj after Dhoni's exit, walloped the first ball from Lee over long-on and Australia's fight evaporated with that shot.

Before Yuvraj, India's chase revolved almost entirely around Sachin Tendulkar. It was a slow pitch, but Tendulkar played some shots that defied the nature of the track. Tait v Tendulkar in particular lived up to the billing. Tendulkar punched the first delivery he faced, and the first from Tait, through cover point and, upper cut the next legal delivery to the third man boundary. Tait sledged, Tendulkar stared, and the chase was soaked with intensity from then on. Tait was soon out off the attack but returned to silence the crowd. He gave away six runs in his first over on return, which included two wides and also saw Tendulkar getting to his fifty. He struck with the first delivery of his next over, the 19th of the innings, with a delivery released from a slightly round-armish action that held its line outside off stump. Tendulkar tried to steer it to point but edged it to Brad Haddin.

Spare a thought for the Australian captain, probably playing his last World Cup match and to Australia, who were last eliminated before the finals of a World Cup way back in 1992. Whenever Zaheer Khan threatened to push India in front, Ponting shoved Australia ahead. The knock was a microcosm of Ponting the man. It had skill, grit, bloody-mindedness, and dare; it was Ponting. It will probably be the only knock from him that won't be remembered for many scintillating shots and it will be cherished for how responsibly he curbed his natural strokeplay.

There was tremendous poise in how he dealt with the slow nature of the pitch and a great amount of skill in the way he handled spin. Ponting showed sheer grit in the way he held the Australian innings together, and admirable character to do it when he wasn't in great form, on such a big stage. When he was fresh, he had to face Harbhajan Singh, his nemesis, bowling from around the stumps.

Ponting countered him by shuffling to his right and working the ball with the turn. When he was tired, he had to face the reverse-swing from Zaheer. In the middle, he picked Ashwin's carom ball, and mixed caution and aggression against Yuvraj Singh.

Australia's slide and India's resurgence in the middle overs began with an awful shot from Micheal Clarke, who top-edged a slog-sweep against Yuvraj to long-on in the 31st over. Zaheer dismissed Michael Hussey with that knuckled slower one to leave Australia wobbling at 140 for 4 in the 34th over. Ponting and David Hussey took the batting Powerplay in the 44th over and added 44 vital runs without losing a wicket. Ponting must have thought he had done all he could to ensure Australia remained in the competition but he was outdone by Yuvraj. —ESPNcricinfo

Yuvraj ready to deliver knockout punch

Yuvraj Singh's match-winning potential and current form could prove too hot to handle for defending champions Australia.

Elegance, style and charisma – words that spring to mind when Yuvraj Singh is on full song. Beyond any considerable analysis of form, excellence and achievement, that is a good reason why fans still have their hope pinned on him. He mesmerizes even the opponents.

Yuvraj’s first century in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 came bang on time! And after almost two years! India play defending champions Australia in the quarterfinals on Thursday and his match-winning efforts against the West Indies could be seen as a warning sign for the Baggy Greens! It can be assumed that the Aussies would have watched the match from start to finish, noting India’s frailties and plusses. And they must be a worried bunch!

The southpaw had already struck three straight fifties against the Netherlands, England and Ireland. Now, with a ton under his belt and form at its peak, the Indian camp would be a happier lot. He battled stomach cramps en-route to his century.

Yuvraj had been under severe attack for his continuous flop shows in the lead up to the tournament. Injury woes, low returns and a careworn attitude had reduced him to being a peddler of cameos. The younger lot, led by Suresh Raina, and now Virat Kohli, have been breathing down his neck for a permanent spot, adding to his mounting pressure.

But great players like to show off on the biggest platform and Yuvraj did just that! Against the run of play, he stepped aside from that abyss and has been working his way to reclaiming his pivotal role ever since the cricketing extravaganza began in the sub-continent.

He will be Australia’s biggest concern. His post-match chat with the media revealed the fighter in him. In fact, he took on a confrontational approach when answering questions. On being asked if India had preferred Sri Lanka over Australia, he shot back: “If we intend to win the Cup, we need to beat every team. We don’t care who locks our horns. Their pacers may deliver short-pitch stuff, but we are the best in Tests and ranked second in ODIs, so don’t say we are concerned about Brett Lee and company,” he minced no words!

Yuvraj appears to be flawless in form and intent. But to make an impact, he would need to nitpick even the tiniest of loose ends and work on them until they are pruned to an approximate perfection.

India must make sure the batting-order that applied against the Windies is not tampered with. Yuvraj at number four is a position worthy of his potential.

Interestingly, his all-round performance is taking historical proportions. He has 284 runs and nine wickets to his credit so far in this campaign. Another 16 runs and one wicket will make him only the fourth player in World Cup history to achieve the double of 300 runs and ten wickets in a tournament!

Sunil Gavaskar feels R Ashwin could win India the Cup. Yuvraj Singh could too. —ESPNstar

India go top with five-wicket victory

India 191 for 5 (Yuvraj 51*, Seelaar 3-53) beat Netherlands 189 (Borren 38, Zaheer 3-20) by five wickets

	Yuvraj Singh got his second successive Man-of-the-Match award © Getty Images

India defeated Netherlands on a sluggish track at the Feroz Shah Kotla with nearly 14 overs to spare though the margin of victory couldn't mask a lacklustre performance from the home side. The Indian bowling was just about tidy against some dour Netherlands batting, and their bunch of big hitters came unstuck for a while against the left-arm spin of Pieter Seelaar in a low-intensity match.

Chasing 190, India raced out of the blocks with Sachin Tendulkar becoming the first man to reach 2000 World Cup runs with a hat-trick of boundaries in the fifth over, and Virender Sehwag backing that with three more fours in the sixth. The flurry of hitting had the Delhi crowd buzzing, and when Sehwag carved Seelaar over extra cover for six and then dabbed him to third man for four, India were 69/0 in the eighth over and Netherlands looked set for a hiding.

Seelaar, though, ensured it wasn't another embarrassingly one-sided match, like many of those involving the Associates in this tournament. He had Sehwag slicing to point, and then dismissed both Tendulkar and the promoted power-hitter Yusuf Pathan in the 10th over to rein in India.

Virat Kohli didn't last too long before being bowled by Peter Borren, but Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh steadied the innings as Netherlands' limited bowling struggled to make more inroads. They added 40 trouble-free runs before Gambhir was bowled round his legs. It was left to Yuvraj and MS Dhoni, India's finishers over the past few years, to calmly steer India to victory with a 61-run stand, with Yuvraj getting his third half-century in a row.

India would have had a tougher test had it not been for a Netherlands middle-order collapse, which was sandwiched by a solid start and a flourish at the end. On choosing to bat, Eric Szwarczynski, playing his first match of the tournament, combined well with Wesley Barresi to put on 56, equalling Netherlands' best opening partnership in World Cups. There were only six boundaries in the first two Powerplays but aside from a couple of half-chances, it was easy going for Netherlands.

Smart stats Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to score 2000 runs in World Cups. He has scored 432 more runs than Ricky Ponting, who is in second place with 1577. Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 51 was his third successive 50-plus score in ODIs, a feat he has achieved for the second time in his career. He had done this earlier in November 2007. India won with 81 balls to spare, which is their fifth-bestin terms of balls remaining, in a World Cup match. The 56-run stand between Wesley Barresi and Eric Szwarczynski equalled Netherlands' highest for the first wicket in World Cup matches. The only other instance when they achieved this was in 1996, against South Africa. Pieter Seelar took three wickets in an innings for the second time in this World Cup - he had taken three in Netherlands' match against West Indies Both India and Netherlands have got only one review right out of seven in the World Cup so far. In today's match, neither team got one right, though Netherlands tried twice and India once.

Piyush Chawla, surprisingly retained after a horror match against Ireland, finally got the breakthrough in the 16th over with his favourite weapon, the googly, which bowled Szwarczynski after he read it too late. The next dismissal came from the most impressive bowler in the Ireland game, Yuvraj, whose wicket-to-wicket bowling got Barresi lbw.

Tom Cooper and Ryan ten Doeschate, two batsmen with career averages in the mid-60s, thwarted India for 10 overs, surviving two tough caught-and-bowled chances but dispatching the odd loose ball served up to put on 35. Netherlands were 99 for 2 after 29, not quite top gear, but the platform was in place for some big hits later on. It wasn't to be though, as both batsmen were dismissed in successive overs to spark a collapse that cost them 5 for 28.

Bas Zuiderent had alerted the world to his talent with a half-century against England in 1996, but of the 16 innings he has played in World Cups since, 12 have been single-digit efforts. Today was another failure for the experienced batsman, done in by Zaheer's swing.

There were a couple of avoidable run-outs as well, but the dismissal that was most embarrassing for Netherlands was Alexei Kervesee's; he swiped a long hop from Chawla, expertly picking out Harbhajan Singh at deep midwicket.

The Netherlands captain, Peter Borren, had spoken of playing brave cricket before this game, and it was his adventurous hitting that lifted his side towards 200. He warmed up by lashing Yuvraj for a couple of powerful fours in the 42nd over, before taking the batting Powerplay and damaging Chawla's figures with a couple of muscular hits over long-on. Mudassar Bukhari joined the fun, swinging two sixes over the leg side before both he and Borren were dismissed by Zaheer in the same over to wrap up the innings.

The win puts India top of the table, but they are through with their easy outings in the tournament, with only South Africa and West Indies remaining in the league phase before the knockouts. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

All-round Yuvraj stars in Indian win

India 210 for 5 (Yuvraj 50*) beat Ireland 207 (Porterfield 75, Yuvraj 5-31) by five wickets

	While the lead spinners were unimpressive, Yuvraj Singh stood up for India © AFP

Yuvraj Singh saved the blushes for India, allowing them to hide the ordinary effort from other spinners, by picking his maiden five-for to restrict Ireland to 207 before he hit an unbeaten fifty to settle India's nerves in a hard-fought win in Bangalore. Ireland enhanced their reputation by defending the target with disciplined bowling and excellent fielding and made India huff and puff to the victory line.

On a dry pitch, where the ball came on slowly, the Indian batsmen preferred to play within themselves and tried to play risk-free cricket but kept losing wickets at regular intervals to keep Ireland interested in the chase. India were 24 for 2 in the sixth over, reached 100 for four at the fall of Virat Kohli in the 24th over, and recovered to 167 for 5 when MS Dhoni exited in the 41st over before Yusuf Pathan flexed his muscles to hasten the end.

Ireland could have done far better had they not stumbled against Yuvraj's bowling. They were eyeing a 250-plus target after a 113-run third-wicket stand between William Porterfield and Niall O'Brien but a run-out opened a window for Yuvraj to trigger a collapse. The most significant moment of the innings came in the 27th over, with Ireland sitting pretty on 122 for 2, when a set Niall O'Brien couldn't make it in time to beat the throw from Virat Kohli in the covers. Dhoni did well to collect the slightly wayward throw and flick it onto the stumps. It was the beginning of the end.

As ever, Yuvraj ambled in like a Sunday-park bowler and as always proved to be street-smart. His art is very simple: he turns the ball slightly but his USP is the variation in pace, using a scrambled seam. He is usually slow and slower but surprises the batsmen with a quicker one. Today, too, he struck to his regular staple diet of slower ones; some were delivered with a round arm, some from higher straighter arm, and some with a crouched bent-knee release to get the ball to skid on.

Smart Stats India improved their record at the Chinnaswamy stadium to 12 wins from 18 matches. They have lost only four matches and tied one. They have not lost a single match in World Cups in Bangalore. Yuvraj Singh's 5 for 31 is his career-best and the fifth five-wicket haul by an Indian bowler in World Cups. Ashish Nehra, Venkatesh Prasad, Kapil Dev and Robin Singh are the other Indian bowlers to pick up five wicketsin a World Cup game. Yuvraj's spell is the eighth-best bowling performance by aspinner in ODIs. The best spell is Anil Kumble's 6 for 12 in 1993. The 113-run stand between William Porterfield and Niall O'Brien is the highest for the third wicket for Ireland in ODIs surpassing the 89 between Andre Botha and Niall O'Brien against Netherlands in 2008. When he scored a half-century, Yuvraj became the first player to score a fifty and pick up five wickets in a match in World Cup game. Viv Richards and Paul Collingwood remain the only players to score a century and pick up five or more wickets in an ODI. The 67-run stand between MS Dhoni and Yuvraj was their 20th fifty-plus partnership in ODIs. Their average of 48.90 is the third highest among all Indian batting pairs who have aggregated over 2000 runs.

If you just catch the highlights of his wickets, most would seem like soft dismissals. To an extent they were, but that's the illusion of nothingness he provides the batsmen, who then make seemingly silly mistakes. Andrew White was sucked into edging a flighted delivery to Dhoni, Kevin O'Brien tapped one softly back, Porterfield swatted a short ball straight to cover and John Mooney and Alex Cusack were trapped by skidders that came in with the arm. When White fell in the 30th over, Ireland were 129 for 4 and by the time Yuvraj got Cusack, Ireland had slid to 184 for 8 in the 44th over.

Until then, India were looking really ragged in the field. Only Zaheer Khan bowled well to take two early wickets and Porterfield and Niall O'Brien played risk-free cricket to lay a good platform. Their case was helped by some ordinary bowling from the spinners. Harbhajan Singh looked off-key, straying on to the pads once too often, Yusuf Pathan erred on length, often dragging them short, and Piyush Chawla hit the wrong lines.

None of that profligacy was seen in Ireland's bowling effort. Trent Johnston, who is the top wicket taker for Ireland, struck two vital blows early, getting Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to ensure India wouldn't waltz to an easy win. Almost immediately, Porterfield brought in the teenaged left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who turned in a pleasing opening spell that read 4-0-14-0. He rarely gave anything to cut, always bowled slow through the air and was never afraid to flight. He had Kohli mistiming a few shots and made Tendulkar bat cautiously. Success came in his second spell, when he struck in his first delivery of the 21st over, trapping Tendulkar with a delivery that went past the attempted sweep. He could have got the wicket of Kohli, too, in his next over but Niall O'Brien, the keeper, couldn't hold on to an edge. Later, he trapped Dhoni lbw with a delivery that straightened on middle and leg to give a window of hope for Ireland but Yusuf Pathan shut it very quickly with two monstrous sixes in the same over. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.