Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta believes the side’s in-form batting has been the most positive aspect of the warm-up matches. In practice matches leading up to the T20 World Cup 2021, Virat Kohli and his teammates overcame England and Australia.
India easily chased down a total of 189 in their first match against the current ODI world champions, with seven wickets and an over to spare. The opening duo of KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan was key in the victory.
Rahul’s quick-fire 24 ball 51 and Ishan’s outstanding 70-run performance sent English bowlers to all four corners of the ground. Rishabh Pant’s blistering cameo of 29* runs at a healthy strike rate of 207 was the cherry on top of the side’s impressive batting showing.
India’s next warm-up match was against Australia yesterday, and Rohit Sharma was the captain (October 20). In Dubai, the Men in Blue easily chased down a score of 153 runs against a formidable Australian bowling combination.
Sharma returned to the side after being rested against England and made a strong statement with a brilliant performance of 60 runs. Before voluntarily going off to give other batters an opportunity. Rahul’s talent shone through once more in his 39-run innings, which included three sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians teammates. To ensure they were back in their grooves after the duo’s departure. As India cruised to victory with 13 balls remaining.
“I think the biggest positive from both of the warm-up games is the Indian batting. Rahul and Ishan played truly well in the first match. Surya, Rahul again, Rohit were amazing against Australia. Including Pant, every batter from 1 to 5 is in form. Which is a very, very good sign.” He said
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked terrible in the first warm-up game against England after a poor IPL season with his Sunrisers Hyderabad side. In his four overs, the 31-year-old failed to trouble any English batsmen, allowing 54 runs to be scored.
Kumar’s performance in the following match against Australia, on the other hand, instilled some confidence in the fans. The seamer seemed in better form against the Aussies, returning with figures of 4-0-27-1.
Deep Dasgupta, a former cricketer-turned specialist, has stated that there has been some swing in the early stages of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. This, according to the 44-year-old, will assist someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get some traction on the courses.
“We have witnessed a bit of swing with the new ball in almost every warm-up game and Round 1 game. It’ll definitely help someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar get some purchase from the pitches,” he said
While Dasgupta noted that Kumar appeared to be in decent form against Australia. He also noted that the fact that one of India’s top fast bowlers was not in top form could be a source of concern for the team.
“And yes, compared to the first warm-up game, he looked in good rhythm against Australia. But still, he hasn’t hit the heights that we expect him to. And that is an area of concern,” Deep Dasgupta concluded.
In a highly anticipated match against Pakistan, India will begin their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. On October 24, the match will be held at the Dubai International Stadium.
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