India defeated Australia in the first warm-up match by a small margin of 6 runs. KL Rahul hit a 27-ball fifty, showing the demanded aggression in the powerplay and it was a one-man show in the first five overs of India’s innings.
Rahul finished with 57 off 33 balls and Suryakumar Yadav’s 33-ball 50 propelled India to a total of 186, which, at one point, looked in sight of Australia when they needed 16 runs off the last 12 balls. But Harshal Patel conceded only 5 runs in the dreaded 19th over before Mohammed Shami, bowling his first over the match and first since July, gave away only 4 runs in the last over to seal a terrific win for India. KL Rahul’s ultra-aggressive approach was pleasing to the eye of the fans.
But that was the warm-up game. India’s main and most-anticipated match is on October 23, against arch-rivals Pakistan. India will want to settle the score and have their revenge of the 10-wicket embarrassing defeat that Pakistan had inflicted upon the Men In Blue at last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
It was Pakistani speed sensation Shaheen Afridi who had hurt India with the ball. Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma in the first of the match, followed by KL Rahul’s wicket in the third. In his return spell, he also got rid of the then-Indian captain Virat Kohli. Afridi was named as the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell that ensured India put a below-par total in Dubai.
Sachin Tendulkar’s advice to Indian openers on how to tackle Shaheen Afridi
Legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar gave an interview recently in which he was asked to give some advice to the Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, on how they should tackle the threat of Shaheen Afridi.
Tendulkar pointed out that both Rohit and Rahul are successful international batsmen and are adept at tacking any bowler in the world. Tendulkar asserted that the Indian openers should be careful in Shaheen’s opening spell as the left-arm seamer likes to bowl full in search of swing and move the ball into the right-handers.
“They have scored big runs at the international level and they both are capable. I am sure they would have figured out how to tackle him. Whatever I have seen of him, Shaheen Afridi likes to pitch the ball up and bring the ball back in. He is an aggressive and attacking bowler. He will back himself to bowl full and straight. Upfront, the batters need to watch out the first few deliveries. If there is swing, keep it straight. They need to assess the conditions in the air and off the pitch upfront,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
When asked about what are India’s chances to winning their second T20 World Cup, 49-year-old Tendulkar responded: “We’ve a very good, balanced side. Our batting possibly is the strongest in the tournament; bowling is balanced. Overall, if you assess the team and its chances, then I would say, we have very high chances.”