Cheteshwar Pujara waged a lone battle with a fighting 65 even as his team, India Green, crashed out of the Challenger Series, for the NKP Salve Trophy, after a 19-run defeat to India Blue, in Cuttack on Saturday night.
In Sunday's summit showdown, Blue will take on Red, unless the weather plays spoilsport.
The Indian Meteorological Department forecast, by the way, predicts "thunderstorm with rain" for Sunday and Monday.
Reduced to a 45 overs-a-side affair following an hour's delayed start thanks to overnight rainfall, Green put Blue in to bat and the reigning champions were restricted to 218 in 44.2 overs.
Fresh from his 94 against Red in the opening encounter, Robin Uthappa top-scored for his team with a dodgy 76, which was ridden with a couple of missed chances.
In reply, Green began erratically with their top-order cut to size by Irfan Pathan and Ashok Dinda. But Pujara and Yusuf Pathan got their act together in the middle looking to see Green through.
However, Ravichandran Ashwin again proved to be the partnership breaker. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner took Yusuf before gobbling up Rudra Pratap Singh and Pujara. Saurashtra batsman Pujara hit nine fours in his 99-ball stint. Ashwin finished with three for 46 as Green were bundled out for 199.
Irfan and Dinda gave Blue the perfect start, sending their top three batsmen -- Naman Ojha, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina -- back in 7.4 overs. Bengal pacer Dinda was particularly mesmerising, extracting bounce and pace from the otherwise slow Barabati track.
Dinda, with his very fourth ball, showed the door to Raina, who was looking good on 16 (17 balls) having hit two boundaries. He then bowled two consecutive maidens.
Mohammad Kaif and Rajat Bhatia only compounded their miseries as the required run-rate began to go North-ward. Kaif (7) failed to reach double digits, while Bhatia got out at 10 trying for a big one.
It was then left for just-in Yusuf and the set Pujara to take the match forward.
Pujara, meanwhile, completed his half-century while Yusuf began to explode with a huge six over long-on with the target looking nearer.
Just when the pair started to look dangerous for Blue, the partnership was broken. Ashwin provided the breakthrough, having Yusuf caught and bowled. The duo added 59 runs from 58 balls for the sixth wicket.
Ashwin, it may be recalled, had provided the vital breakthrough in the opening match against Red, when the off-spinner dismissed Murali Vijay, who was looking for a match-winning innings, on 89.
Earlier, Yuvraj had another forgettable outing. The Punjab batsman departed in a huff, having faced eight balls, for three. Blue's captain, who scored six in their first match, was bowled in by a Rudra Pratap sizzler.
Uthappa, making full use of the two lives -- one when he was castled only for the delivery to be adjudged a no-ball by Shavir Tarapore, and then when Rudra Pratap dropped a catch -- raced to another half-century in the tournament.
The Karnataka batsman's innings finally came to an end when local boy Pragyan trapped him leg before wicket. Uthappa hit three sixes and five fours in his 88-ball stay.
Yogesh Takawale made a fluent 34 (50) which included three boundaries and one over-boundary. The promising Maharashtra wicketkeeper-batsman got himself engaged in a 58-run fifth wicket partnership with Uthappa.
Scorecard
India Blue
Virat Kohli b RP Singh 9
Robin Uthappa lbw b Ojha 76
Yuvraj Singh b RP Singh 3
Dinesh Kaarthick lbw b Gony 10
Arjun Yadav lbw b Pankaj 16
Yogesh Takawale c Naman b Yusuf 34
Irfan Pathan b Yusuf 28
R Ashwin c Gony b Yusuf 10
Pradeep Sangwan not out 6
Chetanya Nanda run out 8
Ashok Dinda b Gony 0
Extras:: (LB-1, W-11, NB-6) 18
Total: (All out in 44.2 overs) 218
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-19, 3-56, 4-87, 5-145, 6-166, 7-201, 8-202, 9-217
Bowling: Pankaj Singh 9-1-27-1, RP Singh 8-0-56-2, Manpreet Gony 6.2-1-18-2, Pragyan Ojha 8-0-60-1, Bhatia 7-0-35-0, Yusuf Pathan 6-0-21-3.
India Green:
Naman Ojha c Takawale b Pathan 11
Shikhar Dhawan c Kohli b Pathan 7
Suresh Raina c Sangwan b Dinda 16
Mohammad Kaif lbw b Nanda 7
Cheteshwar Pujara c Nanda b Ashwin 65
Rajat Bhatia c Takawale b Nanda 10
Yusuf Pathan c&b Ashwin 34
Rudra Pratap Singh c Karthik b Ashwin 11
Manpreet Gony c Kohli b Sangwan 9
Pragyan Ojha run out (Takawale) 1
Pankaj Singh not out 5
Extras: (b-4, lb-12, w- 6, nb-1) 23
Total: (all out; 44 overs) 199
Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Dhawan, 2.2 ov), 2-39 (NV Ojha, 6.2 ov), 3-40 (Raina, 7.4 ov), 4-77 (Kaif, 18.3 ov), 5-95 (Bhatia, 26.2 ov), 6-154 (Pathan, 35.6 ov), 7-174 (Singh, 39.5 ov), 8-182 (Pujara, 41.5 ov), 9-189 (PP Ojha, 42.5 ov), 10-199 (Gony, 43.6 ov) Bowling: Pathan 9-0-30-2, Sangwan 8-0-39-1, Dinda 8-2-32-1, Nanda 9-0-31-2, Ashwin 9-0-46-3, Yuvraj 1-0-5-0.
