India clinched a nail-biting thriller on Monday (17 October) as they got the better of Australia by 6 runs in Brisbane in the first warm-up match. With 11 needed in the final over it was Mohammed Shami who came good as India scalped four consecutive wickets to down the hosts. With just a handful of days to go for the T20 World Cup opener, India will be pumping with confidence while the Aussies failed to chase 187.
Virat Kohli vs Australia
Aaron Finch scored 76 in 54 deliveries and looked on course to guide the Aussies to a famous win. But Virat Kohli’s brilliance in fielding with a runout and a superb catch coupled with Arshdeep’s and Shami’s brilliance saw them clinch the match. However, a collapse in the final two overs saw them end as second best.
Mitchell Marsh (35) and Glenn Maxwell (23) were also good with the bat while Steve Smith scored 11 before he headed back to the pavilion. For India, Mohammed Shami ended with three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped two wickets in the match.
India start superbly with bat
After being asked to bat first, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma gave India a solid start as they put together an opening stand of 78 runs in just seven overs. Rahul scored 57 off 33 which consisted of 3 sixes and 6 fours and was the most aggressive of the two. Rohit on the horizon scored just 14 off 15 deliveries and departed soon after Rahul departed. Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli then steadied the innings as the former scored 50 off 33 deliveries.
Suryakumar’s innings helped India propel to a score of 186 while Virat departed for 19. Kane Richardson scalped four wickets with a wicket a piece for Maxwell, Ashton Agar, and Mitchell Starc.
India’s next warm-up match will see them face New Zealand on Wednesday with their World Cup Super 12 opener scheduled against Pakistan on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
