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Team India posted a decent total of 186/7 against Australia in their first practice game on Monday, October 17, at the Gabba in Brisbane. KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav looked in great touch in the batting department for Men in Blue ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
After being asked to bat first, KL Rahul (57) began the innings with a flurry of boundaries on an aggressive note. Rohit Sharma was the silent spectator at the non-striking end for the first few overs as Rahul hogged the strike and took the attack to the opposition with flamboyant shots all over the park.
Rohit Sharma (15) also joined in on the fun in the fifth over with a couple of boundaries against Glenn Maxwell to cap off a wonderful powerplay. India raced off to 69/0 at the end of six overs. However, Rahul and Rohit departed in quick succession after that.
Virat Kohli (19) and Hardik Pandya (two) were also dismissed soon without making any substantial contributions in the middle order, leaving Suryakumar Yadav alone to do all the heavy lifting.
The in-form batter did not disappoint as he notched up a fluent half-century (50 off 33) to help India set a target of 187 ahead of the Australians. Dinesh Karthik (20) assisted him with a mini cameo. Ravichandran Ashwin also showcased his worth in the lower order by hitting a six off the penultimate ball.
Speaking at the mid-innings break, Kane Richardson (4/30) reflected on the first innings and said:
"First time he (Suryakumar Yadav) has missed the middle of the bat ever against us. In India, it would have probably flown out of the ground. He is probably the best in the world so good to get one back. I have not played a heap. I was joking this is my first game since the warm-up match last year.
"You try to get the guys hitting to the big areas. That is how we go about it in Australia but does not always work. Everyone is just enjoying being out there. (On empty stands) Feels like a COVID game. I am sure we will all be playing in front of full houses in a couple of days' time."
Fans react after India set a target of 187 against Australia
The action that unfolded in the first innings of the practice game between Team India and Australia entertained the fans. They reacted with hilarious memes on social media platforms about the same.
Here are some of the best ones:
After 11 overs, Australia reached 97/2 with Aaron Finch (43*) and Maxwell at the crease.
