ICC T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Australia (warm-up): Rohit's 60 helps India register comfortable 8-wicket win

India managed to tame Australia emphatically by eight wickets in its final warm-up clash of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai on Wednesday. India has finished the warm-ups on a high, winning both encounters.

ICC T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Australia (warm-up): Report, result, winner, rohit sharma-ayh

Ayush Gupta

Dubai - United Arab Emirates, First Published Oct 20, 2021, 7:33 PM IST

It seems like there is no stopping for Team India, as it decisively defeated Australia by eight wickets in the final warm-up clash of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai on Wednesday. With this win, India has finished the warm-ups on a high, having beaten England on Monday.

Winning the toss, Australian skipper Aaron Finch elected to bat while he rested pacer Josh Hazlewood from the last game. For India, vice-captain Rohit Sharma led the side, as skipper Virat Kohli, pacer Jasprit Bumrah and seamer Mohammed Shami were rested.

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Australia was off to a jumpy start, losing openers David Warner (1), Finch (8) and Mitchell Marsh (0) within the fourth over of the Powerplay, with just 11 runs on the board. However, Steven Smith (57) and Glenn Maxwell (37) contributed to a 61-run stand for the fourth wicket, which eased some pressure off the Aussies.

In the 12th over, Maxwell was knocked over by spinner Rahul Chahar, while it was again followed by a healthy 76-run stand between Smith and Marcus Stoinis (41). At 148, the former departed to seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the final over, as Australia finished on 152/5.

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The Indians used seven bowlers, with Kohli bowling a couple of overs as well, with figures of 0/12. While off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed a couple, he was also very economical.

In reply, India was off to a commanding start, as openers KL Rahul (39) and Rohit (60) contributed to a 68-run stand before the former was dismissed by spinner Ashton Agar in the tenth. At this time, Rohit also brought up his half-century, besides producing a 59-run partnership along with Suryakumar Yadav (38), as he retired out, to make way for Hardik Pandya (14*).

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Pandya and Yadav managed to see the chase out, as India comfortably won by eight wickets within 18 overs. Australia utilised eight bowlers, with only Agar getting the lone success, while he and seamer Mitchell Starc were the most economical from their side.
Brief scores: Australia 152/5 (Smith- 57, Maxwell- 37, Stoinis- 41*; Ashwin- 2/8) lost to India 153/1 in 17.5 overs (Rahul- 39, Rohit- 60, Yadav- 38; Agar- 1/14) by eight wickets.

Last Updated Oct 20, 2021, 7:33 PM IST