By IANS
Belfast : Yuvraj Singh scored a strokeful, unbeaten 61 to help India win the rain-affected third match by six wickets and clinch the Future Cup 2-1 here Sunday.
Captain Rahul Dravid made 33 as India successfully chased South Africa's 148 for seven wickets in the allotted 31 overs, finishing at 151 for four in 30.2 overs.
Yuvraj (82 balls, 6x4s, 1×6) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (14, 11 balls, 2x4s) were the unbeaten batsmen in a match that was reduced to 31 overs per side following rains.
South Africa had won the first match by four wickets and India levelled the three-match series with a six-wicket verdict in the second Friday.
Sachin Tendulkar had played two knocks of 90s in the first two matches, but he flopped Sunday.
And, unlike in the previous match, when they were involved in a 100-run stand, Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly failed together. Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher caught both, first Tendulkar off Makhaya Ntini and then Ganguly of Andre Nel.
In between, Dale Steyn bowled Gautam Gambhir. But when Ganguly headed for the pavilion, India were reeling at 35 for three, and needed captain Rahul Dravid's resolute batting to stem the tide.
Dravid, in the company of left-handed Yuvraj Singh, did stop the regular fall of wickets and added 72 precious runs for the fourth wicket that eventually proved the backbone of the win.
It took a crazy way of taking a run and a brilliant throw from Boucher sent Dravid packing after contributing 32 (45 balls, 4x4s).
Yuvraj then took over and and Dhoni took India ashore.
Earlier, Justin Kemp (61, 61 balls, 5x4s, 2x6s) and Herschelle Gibbs (56, 67 balls, 3x4s, 2x6s) scored fine half-centuries to resurrect the South Africa innings after it was reduced to 28 for four.
Indian pacers and Ganguly, who dismissed A.B. de Villiers and Jean-Paul Duminy on successive balls, bowled well in helpful conditions. Ajit Agarkar, Ganguly and Tendulkar picked up two wickets apiece.
SCOREBOARD
3rd match, Future Cup, India vs. South Africa, Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast, July 1
South Africa:
A.B. de Villiers c Dhoni b Ganguly 15
Morne van Wyk lbw b Agarkar 0
Jacques Kallis b Agarkar 0
Herschelle Gibbs b Khan 56
Jean-Paul Duminy lbw b Ganguly 0
Justin Kemp b Tendulkar 61
Mark Boucher not out 11
Andrew Hall c Karthik b Tendulkar 1
Extras: (bye 1, leg byes 3) 4
Total: (for 7 wickets in 31 overs) 148
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (van Wyk, 1.5 overs), 2-8 (Kallis, 3.4), 3-28 (de Villiers, 12.2), 4-28 (Duminy, 12.3), 5-127 (Gibbs, 28.2), 6-144 (Kemp, 30.2), 7-148 (Hall, 30.6)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 7 0 29 1
Ajit Agarkar 6 0 21 2
Rudra Pratap Singh 6 2 15 0
Sourav Ganguly 6 0 24 2
Piyush Chawla 3 0 28 0
Yuvraj Singh 2 0 17 0
Sachin Tendulkar 1 0 10 2
India:
Sourav Ganguly c Boucher b Nel 19
Sachin Tendulkar c Boucher b Ntini 8
Gautam Gambhir b Steyn 5
Rahul Dravid run out (Boucher) 32
Yuvraj Singh not out 61
Mahendra Singh Dhoni not out 14
Extras: (lb 3, w 4, nb 3) 10
Total: (for 4 wickets in 30.2 overs) 152
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Tendulkar, 1.6 overs), 2-20 (Gambhir, 4.4), 3-36 (Ganguly, 8.5), 4-108 (Dravid, 24.3)
Bowling:
Dale Steyn 6 0 37 1 (1w)
Makhaya Ntini 7 2 16 1
Andre Nel 5.2 1 23 1 (2w)
Andrew Hall 6 0 28 0 (1nb)
Jacques Kallis 4 0 36 0 (2nb, 1w)
Justin Kemp 2 0 9 0
Result: India won by six wickets
Series result: India win Future Cup
Man of the Match: Yuvraj Singh
Man of the Series: Sachin Tendulkar
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Mark Benson (England)
TV umpire: Billy Bowden (New Zealand)
Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia)