Former India batsman Yusuf Pathan took the Sri Lanka Legends bowlers to the cleaners, smashing a 36-ball 62 to fire India to an imposing total of 181 runs in the final of the Road Safety Series on Sunday. 

The 38-year-old struck four boundaries and five sixes in his knock as his pyrotechnics helped turn the momentum of the game India’s way. 

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Sri Lanka piled the pressure on India after taking two early wickets, dismissing Virender Sehwag (10) and Badrinath (7) with just 35 runs on the board. Rangana Herath then got the big breakthrough wicket of skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who was well-set with a 23-ball 30. 

However, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Pathan forged a 85-run partnership in 47 deliveries to take India to a strong position. Yuvraj smashed four fours and as many sixes in his 41-ball 60. 

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After a slow start, scoring just two runs from the first six deliveries, Pathan got underway with a boundary, pulling a short Dhammika Prasad-delivery to backward square leg region. 

He punished Prasad again in the 16th over, smashing consecutive sixes and a four and struck two maximums in the next over from Nuwan Kulasekara to reach his first fifty of the tournament.