Superb fifties from Rahul and Kishan help India beat England comprehensively in the warm-up game

India will kick-start their T20 World Cup campaign a few days later against Pakistan, but they have picked up some much-needed confidence, beating England in the warm-up game in Dubai by 7 wickets. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul registered brilliant fifties, whilst Shami returned with 3 wickets with the ball for the Men in Blue. […]
 
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Superb fifties from Rahul and Kishan help India beat England comprehensively in the warm-up game

India will kick-start their T20 World Cup campaign a few days later against Pakistan, but they have picked up some much-needed confidence, beating England in the warm-up game in Dubai by 7 wickets. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul registered brilliant fifties, whilst Shami returned with 3 wickets with the ball for the Men in Blue.

Jason Roy and Jos Buttler went after Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the early overs after England were put to bat first by Kohli. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were tough to get hold of on the day, but the pacer from Meerut struggled to find his rhythm. Both openers got a start, but threw it away inside the powerplay. Shami first knocked over Jos Buttler’s stumps, before dismissing Jason Roy in the 6th over.

Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan found runs difficult to come by, and their partnership slowed the tempo a bit. Bairstow, however, changed gears alongside Liam Livingstone, with both batters going after Rahul Chahar. Livingstone first mustered 12 runs in the 12th over, and Bairstow followed it up with a 17-run over in the 14th, both bowled by Chahar.

They added a quickfire 52-run partnership before Shami cleaned up Livingstone’s stumps with a scorching yorker. Bumrah followed it with a similar dismissal to send Bairstow back, who fell 1 run short of a fifty. Moeen Ali completed provided a stellar finish by crucifying Bhuvneshwar Kumar, garnering 21 runs in the final over.

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Superb fifties from Rahul and Kishan help India beat England comprehensively in the warm-up game

England finished with 188 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Mohammed Shami starred for the Indian contingent by picking 3 wickets. Ashwin went wicketless but went for just 23 runs in his 4 overs. Chahar and Bhuvneshwar were pretty expensive, but they are expected to bounce back.

Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul steer India home in their first warm-up game against England

Superb fifties from Rahul and Kishan help India beat England comprehensively in the warm-up game

Ishan Kishan chipped in with a 46-ball 70.

Ishan Kishan found it difficult initially to get going, but KL Rahul played some delightful shots to race the scoreboard forward. He picked up things from where he left in the game against Chennai Super Kings in his last IPL game, and timed the ball beautifully. Rahul completed a terrific half-century in just 24 balls, which included 3 sixes and 7 fours.

Both openers added 82 runs for the opening wicket, before Rahul mishit a full delivery and was dismissed. This is when Ishan Kishan took over the mantle and started connecting some big hits. Although Virat Kohli couldn’t get going, Rishabh Pant and Kishan went after the bowlers and nearly killed England’s hopes before the 15th over.

Kishan walked back retired hurt after chipping in with 70 runs off 46 balls. Suryakumar did not find his rhythm on the day, but Pant and Hardik Pandya finished the game inside 19 overs, giving India a morale-boosting 7-wicket win. English bowlers failed to make an impact on the day, and also were let down by some poor fielding. Kishan was dropped twice during his innings, and they let some runs go away easily.

Brief Scores

England: 188/5 in 20 overs (Jonny Bairstow 49, Moeen Ali 43*; Mohammed Shami 3/40) lost to India: 192/3 in 19 overs (Ishan Kishan 70, KL Rahul 51)