Air India Red knocked out tournament favourites India Cements with a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in their rain-curtailed match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. The Red team will now take on ONGC in the semi-final on Saturday. Suresh Raina escaped unscathed from the initial short-ball contest to post an unbeaten 92 while skipper Yuvraj Singh took his good form into the new season with a breezy 41-ball 42 as the Reds overhauled the target of 244 in just 43 overs. Opener Naman Ojha also contributed upfront with a neat 59 from 75 balls as India Cements bowlers lacked penetration or discipline. Raina started gingerly but soon eased into sublime off-side play after seeing off new ball bowlers Sudeep Tyagi and L Balaji. He played second fiddle to Ojha before coming to the fore. Raina reached his half-century in 60 balls with three boundaries and two well-timed sixes but benefited with a dropped chance on 53 by substitute Sivakumar at mid-wicket fence. Raina,in fact,was dropped twice after that on 88 and 90. Earlier,Rahul Dravid and S Badrinath hit half-centuries in their 133-run partnership as India Cements posted a competitive total in the allotted 47 overs. Dravid reached his half-century in 54 balls with three fours and a six,finally being dismissed for 66,while Badrinath fell for 91. Massive win for Air India Blue Meanwhile,MS Dhoni (106) and opener Manvinder Bisla (152) slammed unbeaten centuries to propel Air India Blue to 362/1,winning by 140 runs in their 42-over match against Indian Revenue at Mohali. Chandan Madan (74) was the only wicket to fall after a 162-run opening partnership,caught by Hiken Shah off Rakesh Bhadrapur. In reply,Indian Revenue could manage only 222/8,with Ameya Shrikhande scoring 121. They now play Tata SC in the second semi-final. Tata qualified after their match against Indian Oil was abandoned at Dharamshala due to rain.
