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Indore: Yusuf Pathan knows only one way to bat. Whatever the situation, Pathan doesn't believe in getting bogged down. On Friday, Pathan came to the crease with his team India Red in a precarious position at 86/4 chasing 251.
In a matter of mere 30 balls, he had decisively turned the match in his side's favour, notching up 63 with five fours and five sixes. His knock guided India Red to a three-wicket victory in the inaugural match of the Challenger Trophy, thanks to Pathan's heroics.
India Red chased down the target in a mere 48.2 overs. By the time Ravindra Jadeja was trapped leg before, Pathan had already done enough damage.
Local boy Mohnish Mishra (42; 58b, 4x4, 1x6) didn't disappoint the crowd and added a crucial 62 runs for the seventh-wicket with Iqbal Abdullah (30 not out; 43b, 2x4) to guide India Red home.
On the third ball he faced, Pathan smashed Piyush Chawla for a boundary. Next ball, he deposited the leggie six, which landed on the second tier of the stadium. Chawla changed ends hoping for some luck but the result remained the same.
Yuvraj brought himself on but that didn't make any difference to Pathan, who treated the left-armer with equal disdain and took 17 runs off the over.
Earlier, twin half-centuries by Ajinkya Rahane (84; 95b, 9x4, 1x6) and Ravindra Jadeja (58; 63b 6x4, 1x6), helped India Blue recover from a bad start.
Rahane looked in good touch and played some lovely shots on both sides of the wicket. His 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Manoj Tiwary (40; 78b, 2x4) pulled things back for India Blue after they were reeling at 31-3.
Brief scores
India Blue 251 for 9 (Rahane 84, Jadeja 58, Tyagi 3-40)
India Red 252 for 7 (Yusuf 63, Mishra 42)
Result India Red won by three wickets
