Road Safety Series, 1st semi-final: India Legends hammer Australia Legends
India Legends on Thursday seized a five-wicket win over Australia Legends to reach the final of the 2022 Road Safety World Series. Opener Naman Ojha (90*) was the show-stopper as he paved the way for a 172-run chase (175/5). The Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends will face the winner of the 2nd semi-final between Sri Lanka and West Indies on Saturday in Raipur. Here's more.
How did the 1st semi-final pan out?
Put to bat, Australia fetched a 60-run stand for the opening wicket before skipper Shane Watson (30) departed. Onslaughts from Ben Dunk (26-ball 46) and middle-order batter Cameron White (18-ball 30*) guided them to a respectable total. Abhimanyu Mithun and Yusuf Pathan bagged two wickets each for India. Ojha was later joined by Irfan Pathan, whose ferocious play (12-ball 37*) steered India home.
Who have been key performers for India Legends?
Ojha now tops the scoring charts for India, having slammed 158 runs at 39.50. Stuart Binny follows suit, with 102 runs at 51.00. Master Blaster Tendulkar has compiled 85 runs across four innings at 28.33, including a blitz 20-ball 40 against England. Meanwhile, sinners Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma have pocketed six and five wickets, averaging 15.83 and 11.80, respectively.
A look at their journey
Defending champions India Legends kickstarted their run in the 2nd edition with a thumping 61-run win over South Africa. The matches against West Indies and New Zealand were abandoned due to wet outfield and rains respectively. India routed England by 40 runs, followed by a no-result against Bangladesh. They wound up at the second spot on the table, with SL (W4, NR1) seated atop.
India Legends bagged the honors in the maiden edition
India Legends were crowned winner in the 2020-21 edition. They topped the League stage, stamping five wins in six matches. In the semi-final, India bested WI by 12 runs in what was a high-scoring encounter. Tendulkar had shone with a 42-ball 65. Later, India defended a target of 182 against SL in the finale. Hard-hitter Yusuf Pathan had struck 62* in the coveted fixture.
