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Nagpur: It's been a while since Robin Uthappa batted with authority and audacity. On Tuesday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's Jamtha stadium, though, he was taking India Red bowlers to the cleaners till a bad shot changed the course of the game.
Uthappa's entertaining 47-ball 56 (8x4, 1x6) for the India Greens was followed by some remarkably poor batting from his teammates as the team slumped from 100 for no loss to 170 all out within 38 overs.
The dismal batting display enabled the Gautam Gambhir-led India Red to canter to the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy via an eight-win win and a bonus point. They will meet India Blue in the final.
India Red's openers Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund had already knocked off 45 runs in eight overs when a light drizzle started at the break.
On resumption after the rain and dinner break, the Reds were given a revised target of 152 from 42 overs which they comfortably achieved in 29 overs. The opening duo added 100 in just 92 balls to set up the platform.
Gambhir rode his luck to have some useful match practice ahead of the ODIs against England with a fluent 53-ball 57 (6x4, 1x6). Mukund's innings was an extended version of his hundred against India Blue. He took his time, ran hard between the wickets and was severe on the bad balls. When he got out, India Red needed only 15 to win and Amabati Rayudu and Yusuf Pathan completed the formalities.
With not much to defend, India Green skipper Harbhajan Singh brought himself on early but Gambhir, who was dropped by Mohd Kaif on 14, attacked the struggling off-spinner right from the outset. First he lofted him over long-on for maximum and then played his trademark inside out shot for a boundary. The wet ball also didn't help Harbhajan's cause as he went for 32 in his four overs.
Earlier, none of the India Green batsmen were willing to stay at the wicket, playing one bad shot after other. Yusuf Pathan was the biggest beneficiary of some poor batting by India Green, bagging four wickets. Captain Harbhajan himself was guilty of playing a poor stroke when the well-set Kaif was batting at the other end.
Brief scores
India Green 170 (Uthappa 56, Yusuf 4-25)
India Red 152 for 2 (Mukund 61, Gambhir 57)
Results India Red beat India Green by eight wickets by VJD method
