Despite suffering from a back injury, Yuvraj smashed a 64-ball ton in the first ODI against England in Rajkot First days for an opposition captain in India don't get much worse. Kevin Pietersen's decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot backfired spectacularly as India galloped out of the blocks and never looked back. What seemed a brave decision turned into an utter disaster with India posting 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic strokeplay. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from only 78 balls. It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India's total beat the previous best against this team - Pakistan's 353 in Karachi in 2005. It was also India's best total at home and second highest anywhere.
The last time Yuvraj scored a hundred in a limited-overs game was on October 5 2007 against Australia. He dismissed that drought with a magnificent innings. Yuvraj began in the 24th over, after Sehwag had been brilliantly caught by Ian Bell at midwicket for a 73-ball 85. Shortly into his innings, Yuvraj had problems with his back and needed a brace. Steve Harmison decided to test him with some short balls and, though Yuvraj took his eyes off them, he pulled consecutive boundaries and rounded off the over with a steer past slip for four more. Those three strokes set the tone.
India took the third Powerplay after the 34th over, a move which prompted Pietersen to bring back Andrew Flintoff. Yuvraj, who had Gambhir running for him, took the opportunity to break free by hitting sixes off Flintoff and Harmison before raising his fifty with a classy off drive. Yuvraj's partnership with Raina for the third wicket had added 89 off 78 balls before his partner scooped Flintoff to Paul Collingwood at backward point for 43. Yusuf Pathan came and went for 0, pulling his second ball to midwicket. Yuvraj, not disturbed by the double blow, stood his ground and swatted a wayward Broad for six and four and brought up the 300 - and the fifty partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni - by smashing Samit Patel out of the ground in the 44th over.
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