Tails I win, heads you lose

The Rajkot crowd — so used to 300-plus scores, big strokes and break-neck chases — didn’t quite bring the roof down at the end of the unbeaten winning partnership of 105 runs from 111 balls between Mohammed Kaif (38 n.o.) and Yuvraj Singh (79 n.o.). But it was a finish that added a new dimension to the ever-improving Indian team. Old finishers had done the job again as India crossed the 197-run target with 16 overs to spare.

At the height of the Sourav Ganguly-John Wright era, Kaif and Yuvraj formed the crack combination that did the tough task of hammering the final nail in the coffin. They were the unsung heroes who, at the fag end of the innings, were asked to score those all-important 30-40 runs that eventually decided the game.

With Kaif climbing up the batting order and later out due to injury, while Yuvraj aggregating an abysmal 45 runs in the first five games, the mantle of finishers was up for grabs.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina were the two contenders, and they showed during that 262 chase at Pune that they had in them to be the new finishers in the Chappell regime. They formed a partnership that was quite similar to the Kaif-Yuvraj combination — the only difference being the attacker was a right-hander, here the southpaw dropped the anchor.

Today, as Kaif and Yuvraj joined forces with the scoreboard reading 92/3 it was time to rewind. The task ahead wasn’t quite of the NatWest final scale, but on a tricky wicket and rookies to follow the skull-and-bones sign was certainly there on the road ahead.

Kaif opened his account with a cut boundary to the point fence off Maharoof’s first over and followed it by a sweetly-timed push to the widish mid-off boundary. But soon Yuvraj took over his old role of aggressor. He started cautiously, aware that Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, despite checking their strokes, were out to slower deliveries. The two-paced surface was tough to play.

Having taken stock, Yuvraj stepped on the gas. A lofted straight drive off Chandana was followed by hits to the either side of the square. The chemistry was back. The two had an animated discussion on Fernando’s slower ball as Yuvraj demystified the surface with his aggression and application.

The captain was pleased for his old mates. ‘‘It is great to see Yuvraj and Kaif finishing the job, something they have done so often in the past,’’ he said.

Asked about the versatile Indian batting, Sehwag said: ‘‘We tested various batsmen in match situations and that has worked for us. The experiments are showing results.’’

The sight of Kaif and Yuvraj walking back after a 100 partnership with Raina and Dhoni still padded up in the dressing showed it was a win-win situation for the coach Greg Chappell and Team India.