Chance for India A to regain lost ground under skipper Yuvraj Singh

Having suffered a surprise defeat in the unofficial ODI series, it will be an opportunity for the Yuvraj Singh-led India A to regain some of the lost ground when they lock horns with the West Indies A in the one-off Twenty20 match on Saturday.

Bangalore: Having suffered a surprise defeat in the unofficial ODI series, it will be an opportunity for the Yuvraj Singh-led India `A` to regain some of the lost ground when they lock horns with the West Indies `A` in the one-off Twenty20 match here on Saturday.

The 1-2 series loss was a rare failure for India A, who had whitewashed their counterparts from New Zealand 3-0 prior to the just-concluded ODI rubber against the Caribbeans. The key for the hosts once again will be Yuvraj, who has had a remarkable success with the willow in the 50-over format, slamming an 89-ball century and following that up with knocks of 40 and 61 in the last two matches. In his quest to earn a recall to the Indian team, the stylish left-hander will look to continue in the same vein in the remainder of the series, which also includes three unofficial Tests. With the kind of form and fighting abilities the visitors displayed in the ODI series, Yuvraj and his men would be wary of their opponents. As a whole, India have performed reasonably with the bat. While Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan managed to get some runs under their belt, the hosts have been hugely let down by opener Robin Uthappa`s form as the India discard could manage only 23, 10 and 27 in the three ODIs. The batting unit revolves around openers Unmukt Chand and Uthappa and from India`s point of view, it is imperative that they give the team a good start. The Indian outfit would also hope that the likes of Baba Aparajith and Kedar Jadhav, who have shown their potential in patches in the ODI series, lend some solidity to the middle-order. India`s bowling department, with the exception of pacers Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat, has completely looked off-colour and if the hosts harbour any chance of clinching the one-off T20 series, the bowlers will have to fire in unison. PTI