India 244 for 5 (Yuvraj 80*, Kaif 68) beat Zimbabwe 240 (A Flower 89) by 5 wickets
scorecard

A scintillating innings from Yuvraj Singh and a superb sheet-anchor display from Mohammad Kaif saw India cruise to victory in the fourth one-day international against Zimbabwe at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad. The series is now all square at 2-2 with the teams heading to Guwahati for the crunch encounter on Tuesday.

Yuvraj breezed his way to 80 from just 60 balls. On a slow pitch and an even slower outfield, his timing was a sight to behold. The hapless Zimbabwe bowlers repeatedly found themselves driven to the midwicket boundary. Some shots cut grass as they skimmed along, others sailed through the air, the common thread being the wondrous sense of touch. Poor Grant Flower got the full treatment, lofted a long way over midwicket for six. Yuvraj's 94-run association with Kaif hurtled along at more than a run a ball and won India a match they appeared certain to lose.

Kaif's knock of 68 was just as invaluable. Coming in with India in disarray at 56 for 3, he batted with commendable maturity, a quality absent from the seniors' play throughout this series. His running between the wickets was excellent and he constantly pulled his partners through for two where they would otherwise have been content with a single. It was ironic then that he lost his wicket to a run-out, Tatenda Taibu combining with the bowler Travis Friend to catch him short of his crease (226 for 5). But by then, the game was all but over.

Dinesh Mongia got the Indian run-chase off to a sparkling start, cover-driving Heath Streak and then flicking Douglas Hondo down to square leg three times in an over. Sourav Ganguly didn't last long, though, making only 7 before driving Hondo uppishly to Grant Flower at cover (30 for 1).

Mongia looked the part during his innings of 30, but he gave it away in dismal fashion, edging a wide one from Travis Friend through to a diving Alistair Campbell at first slip (50 for 2). Friend put Zimbabwe firmly in the driving seat moments later when he induced VVS Laxman to glove one down the leg side to Taibu (56 for 3). Laxman made just 13, and he can more or less say goodbye to a place in the one-day squad for the Caribbean.

Rahul Dravid and Kaif cobbled things together with a 75-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Initially, they struggled to pierce the field with Friend and Pommie Mbangwa keeping things very tight, but Kaif opened out with some lovely on-side strokes to get some momentum going.

Grant Flower got Zimbabwe back into it, bowling Dravid off the inside edge for 32 (131 for 4) but that merely set the stage for the Yuvraj-Kaif show. And what a performance it turned out to be from the two heroes of India's victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign from two years ago.

Earlier, a magnificent innings of 89 from Andy Flower enabled Zimbabwe to make 240 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. For India, Ajit Agarkar caught the eye, with wickets at the beginning and end of the innings, which helped restrict Zimbabwe on a pitch where batting was never easy.

The Indians, who were out on the field five minutes early, got off to a terrific start. Dion Ebrahim had an early scare in Zaheer Khan's opening over, after he edged one to Dravid at first slip. The Indians celebrated, but TV replays proved inconclusive and Ebrahim stayed.

Campbell didn't, undone by some extra pace and bounce in Agarkar's second over. The ball reared up at him and flew off the edge to Dravid. Campbell made just 3, and Zimbabwe were 13 for 1. Travis Friend lasted just three balls and left without troubling the scorers, a gloved hook through to Ratra giving Agarkar a second reward for some fiery pace bowling.

Andy Flower got going with an extravagant slash over point and an edged drive past gully off Zaheer. Ebrahim's innings was altogether dicier, exemplified by four runs off the glove past the keeper as he drove at Agarkar. He played some orthodox strokes too, getting to 38, before Ganguly's controlled seam bowling proved his undoing. A slog-sweep flew off the top edge to Dravid running in from deep midwicket (79 for 3).

The Flower brothers tormented India with some excellent running between wickets and powerful sweeps. Andy was back to his reverse-sweeping best, playing it three times in quick succession off the debutant Murali Kartik. Grant was more classical, lofting Ganguly off his pads for four and then essaying an exquisite inside-out cover-drive off Harbhajan Singh. They added 96 in just under 18 overs before Harbhajan struck a vital blow.

Grant went for the lofted drive over mid-on and could only watch as Mongia hared in from the long-on fence to pouch a stunner (175 for 4). Grant made 44 and Andy followed soon after. Having crafted a magnificent 107-ball 89 in conditions where batting was no wine and roses, he pushed at one from Zaheer and edged it through to Ratra (190 for 5).

Carlisle and Heath Streak picked off the runs at a good rate as Zimbabwe built up some late innings momentum. Carlisle slogged Zaheer past midwicket and then flicked him over short fine leg in Douglas Marillier-like fashion. Zaheer directed his fury at Streak, who made 10, sending his middle stump for a walk with a perfect yorker (220 for 6).

Marillier was generous enough not to inflict more wounds in the Indian psyche. He made only 1 before slashing Agarkar down to Laxman on the third-man boundary (223 for 7) - relief for Agarkar after he had made a complete hash of a steepling return catch from Carlisle.

Carlisle raced to 40 from 33 balls, with Taibu providing dogged support, before Agarkar cleaned him up with the last ball of the innings. Zimbabwe's total appeared to be enough, until Yuvraj came along and made it a stroll in the park. It was exhilarating stuff and he and Kaif can now pack their Bermudas for the Caribbean.

Teams
India 1 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 2 Dinesh Mongia, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Ajit Agarkar, 8 Ajay Ratra (wk), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Murali Kartik, 11 Zaheer Khan.

Zimbabwe 1 Alistair Campbell, 2 Dion Ebrahim, 3 Travis Friend, 4 Andy Flower, 5 Grant Flower, 6 Stuart Carlisle (capt), 7 Douglas Marillier, 8 Heath Streak, 9 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 10 Pommie Mbangwa, 11 Douglas Hondo.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com India.

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