Team India dominated their opponents, New Zealand and Bangladesh, comprehensively in their warm-up encounters ahead of the start of the Champions Trophy as they put on clinical performances both on the batting as well as the bowling perspectives.
In their first warm-up game at London, India registered a commanding seven-wicket victory over New Zealand. The bowlers gave them the impetus on that day as they bundled up the Kiwis for a paltry total of 189 runs.
Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the pick of the bowlers as they claimed three wickets each. Ravindra Jadeja also bowled well having claimed a couple while Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav picked up a wicket each.
The final exclamation mark on the win was provided when the batsmen finished the task for India within 26 overs. Skipper Virat Kohli top scored with an unbeaten 52 while Shikhar Dhawan also played well for his knock of 40.
India, however, showed their real colours in the second warm-up tie against Bangladesh at the same venue. Batting first they notched up a mammoth total of 324 for the loss of five wickets courtesy of Dinesh Karthik’s 94 off 77 balls, Hardik Pandya’s quickfire innings of 80 and Shikhar Dhawan’s steady half-century at the top.
The icing on the cake for the game was this time put in by the were the bowlers who finished the job up with a thunderous performance. They bowled Bangladesh out for just 84 runs – helping India win the match by 240 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged three again – the same as Umesh Yadav while the others i.e Shami, Bumrah, Pandya and Ashwin picked up a wicket each.
So what were the biggest lessons that the Indian team learnt in their two warm-up games? Let’s jot them down.
#1 Better to leave Ajinkya Rahane out of the playing XI
Rahane is indeed a vital cog for India in Tests. However, things are not the same when it comes to playing in limited overs cricket. In an ODI career spanning six years, he has played just 78 ODIs as has been in and out of the team due to his inconsistency. Moreover, his overall form in the last six months hasn’t been that good as well.
Although he scored 382 runs in 17 IPL games this year at a decent average of over 25, he struggled a lot in the middle phases of the tournament. He can, in fact, thank his three fifties in the tournament that restored some respect to his overall stats in IPL this year.
Moreover, he has struggled to score in the warm up games as well. In the couple of warm-up games that India played, his scores read 7 off 12 and 11 off 21. He opened the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan in the first match against England but fell victim to the seam and swing of Tim Southee. And when he was again drafted into the middle order in the second warm-up tie against Bangladesh, he failed to get going once again as he was out bowled by Mustafizur Rahman.
Thus, the Indian team management really needs to think about the position of Rahane in the side and whether he really warrants a place in the playing XI.
#2 It is time to give Dinesh Karthik a run
Dinesh Karthik has been in very good form in domestic cricket this season. Despite that, he wasn’t selected in the initial Champions Trophy squad. However, an injury to Manish Pandey saw him being drafted into the squad without any second thought.
Karthik was also a part of the Champions Trophy Squad in the title winning campaign in 2013 but didn’t get much opportunity to prove his mettle four years back. Interestingly he had scored two centuries in the warm-up games ahead of that edition as well. However, even that was not enough to cement a place in the playing XI.
This time he has made another strong case for himself with his beautiful innings of 94 in the game against Bangladesh. He played beautiful shots and anchored the innings very well in the middle overs. He was unlucky to be dismissed for naught in the first warm up game against New Zealand. But proved his mettle in the next game. And, it is high time that India give him a stretched run in this tournament.
#4 Hardik Pandya’s bowling is still not up to the mark
Pandya smashed an unbeaten 80 off just 54 deliveries in the second warm-up game against Bangladesh and the innings is sure to create some excitement among the fans and the pundits. However, his bowling is still not up to the mark in this type of competition and has proved to be too expensive. His uncontrolled aggression leads to a lot of short-pitched stuff and in the first warm-up game against New Zealand, he conceded 49 runs in his six overs even though the Kiwis scored a paltry 189 runs.
No one can deny the fact that he also fetches a lot of lucky wickets. He may seem to be the perfect kind of all-rounder, the one who can smash with the bat and bowl at express pace as well. However, he doesn’t have the control in his bowling yet. And whilst his potential is there, his inability to execute with the ball might just cost India dear if they are not careful.
#4 A selection headache regarding pacers
India have a problem in terms of their pace attack but the kind that Anil Kumble would like to have. At the moment, the Men in Blue have four pacers bowling some pretty fiery stuff. However, they are likely to select only three of them as one has to miss out.
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have made a strong case for themselves with scintillating performances in the warm-up games with Jasprit Bumrah the only one yet to fire in the two games. However, given the reputation of his death bowling and his performances in the recently concluded IPL, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. And the battle will be between the trio of Kumar, Shami and Umesh - one which we will all be keen to watch out for.
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