Patient Yuvraj sees India into quarter-finals

INDIA are the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup after their five-wicket win over Holland in Delhi yesterday.

Chasing 190 to win, the home side were wobbling at 139 for five - thanks largely to Pieter Seelaar's three for 53 - and it needed a patient knock of 51 from Yuvraj Singh to see them through. Earlier, Holland were thankful to a face-saving 38 off 36 balls from Peter Borren after two wickets apiece from Yuvraj and Piyush Chawla and figures of three for 20 from Zaheer Khan had threatened a collapse.

Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were boisterous from the word go, as the former hit three successive boundaries off ten Doeschate to become the first batsman to record 2,000 World Cup runs. The duo raced to 69 inside eight overs but Seelaar's inroads brought Holland right back into the game before Yuvraj steadied the ship.