Hardik Pandya
Openers Ishan Kishan (70) and KL Rahul (51) helped India beat England by seven wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup Warm-up contest on Monday.
Chasing 189 in Dubai, the Indian team got off to a solid start with the openers adding 59 runs in the Powerplay. Rahul (51), who had finished third in the Orange Cap race of the recently-concluded IPL 2021, brought up his fifty in the 9th over of the innings.
After Rahul's departure, Kishan kept on going and he brought up his half-century in just 36 balls. In the end, Rishabh Pant (29*) and Hardik Pandya (12*) guided the Men in Blue home with an over to spare.
Despite India's convincing victory over the 2016 World T20 runners-up, ex-India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel pointed out a couple of things that could affect the Virat Kohli-led side's campaign in the marquee event. While all-rounder Hardik Pandya didn't roll his arms, pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar leaked 54 in his four overs to raise concerns over the showing of the Indian bowling unit.
“I don't think Hardik is going to bowl in the first few games looking at the way Virat Kohli has used only five bowlers,” said Parthiv Patel during the mid-innings interval.
"Yes, I'm worried about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He looks in the kind of form which he had in the IPL, where he took just six wickets, but yeah, he looked out of rhythm, almost as if didn't practice.
"We might just see Shardul Thakur in the next game. It might be a combination that we might see," Parthiv added.
India will play their second warm-up game against Australia on October 20. They will start their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.
