Yuvraj Singh hit 103 as India recovered from a horrible start to post 249-9 in 50 overs in the first one-day international against South Africa in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
India, sent in to bat on a moist wicket by visiting captain Graeme Smith, slipped to 5-3 and then 35-5 before Yuvraj’s fifth one-day century led a remarkable late-order fightback by the hosts.
Yuvraj put on 75 for the sixth wicket with Irfan Pathan (46) and a brisk 49 for the seventh with Mahendra Dhoni (17) as the wicket dried out under the hot sun.
Tail-ender Harbhajan Singh then smashed an unbeaten 37 off 17 balls, studded with two sixes and four boundaries, as India plundered 52 runs in the last four overs bowled by Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel.
South Africa, unbeaten in their past 19 matches, face a victory target of five runs an over to take the lead in the five-match series.
Seamers Shaun Pollock, Ntini and Nel finished with two wickets each.
The first international match at the newly built Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on the outskirts of this southern city began disastrously for the home team.
Virender Sehwag fell off the seventh ball of the day, caught superbly by a diving Ashwell Prince at point off Ntini.
Pollock trapped Mohammad Kaif leg-before-wicket in his second over and then saw umpire Krishna Hariharan uphold an appeal for the catch at the wicket against Sachin Tendulkar soon after.
Television replays indicated the ball missed the outside edge of Tendulkar’s bat.
Nel, who replaced Pollock in the 11th over, struck with his third delivery when he beat Indian captain Rahul Dravid with pace and shattered his stumps.
Desperate India sent in super-sub Gautam Gambhir in place of Murali Kartik, but it proved futile as the left-hander was caught behind off Ntini after making one run.
Yuvraj and Pathan made South Africa wait till the 31st over for their next success, which came when rookie off-spinner Johan Botha bowled Pathan off the inside edge to claim his first international wicket.
Yuvraj, who hit 10 boundaries and three sixes, was run out in the 48th over. — Sapa-AFP