The Indian team got off to a good start in their warmup matches, defeating England by 6 wickets. Most of the batsmen got good batting practice ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli and co. left out Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, and Shardul Thakur in the first warmup match. They managed to chase down a big target of 189 on a good track in Dubai. Openers, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan were fantastic at the top.
The former took charge upfront, striking at over 200 in the powerplay. There were some breathtaking shots from Rahul, showing that he’s continuing his IPL form. Meanwhile, Kishan played a scratchy innings at the start, before picking up the pace.
Kishan eventually retired after scoring 69, making way for Suryakumar Yadav. There was some valuable batting practice for Rishabh Pant as well, while skipper Kohli didn’t have a good time on the field.
With the ball, Mohammad Shami scalped three wickets but was a bit on the expensive side. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah were the most economical bowlers for India on the night. However, Rahul Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were quite expensive, with the latter going for 54 runs in his quota of four overs.
England put up a total of 188 on the board, courtesy of some lusty blows from Moeen Ali. He scored a 20-ball 43, while Jonny Bairstow contributed with 49. Most English batsmen got off to good starts but were dismissed when they tried to enforce some runs.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the warmup match between India and England:
'Picking up' from where he left ???? #INDvENG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/dujoAqLVCY
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 18, 2021
Watching this India England warm up match .. this young kishan impressive ?
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) October 18, 2021
Always a pity when @imVkohli gets out early.
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) October 18, 2021
KL Rahul with some serious shots there ?
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) October 18, 2021
Ishan Kishan displayed power and placement in his shot-making. Very difficult to keep him out but then India at the moment is spoilt for options. Just liked the way he manufactured his shots in the middle. #ishankishan #INDvENG #T20WorldCup21 #TeamIndia
— Mikkhail Vaswani (@MikkhailVaswani) October 18, 2021
Indian wicket-keepers finishing the game with a six, it's a never ending love story.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 18, 2021
A keeper-batter from Jharkhand going big. Another keeper finishing it off with a six. Happy debut for Mentor Singh Dhoni! ??
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 18, 2021
mentored by their greatest ever white ball keeper, india warm up with a win courtesy sparkling knocks from their three keeping options #T20WorldCup
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) October 18, 2021
KL Rahul is India’s Number One T20 batsman… #T20WorldCup
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 18, 2021
Msd in the dressing room watching Pant finish the game in style#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/9wvhOuaCeJ
— Saksham Varshney (@Sakshamvarshn16) October 18, 2021
#INDvENG #pkmkb
After today's match, Hope of Pak pic.twitter.com/zKldTrIWue— Rohan Verma (@RohanKu39591819) October 18, 2021
Team India win the warm-up game against England by 6 wickets..but more importantly, it was a complete team effort..must keep the head down and continue the grind #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup #KLRahul #Shami #INDvENG
— Baidurjo Bhose (@bbhose) October 18, 2021
3 things stood out in this win:
1: KL and Ishan with the bat.
2: Boom, Ash & Shami with the ball.
3: @MichaelVaughan staying offline?#INDvENG #T20WorldCup— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) October 18, 2021
Good Practice for #TeamIndia . Well played. ??#T20WorldCup #INDvENG #India
— Prasad DP (@Prasad_18SM) October 18, 2021
#TeamIndia win by 6 wickets! The perfect preparation for the big tournament coming up!
??: 192-4 (19)#INDvENG #T20WorldCup
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) October 18, 2021
A rare lapse from Chris Jordan, but India have made a big statement against the No1 T20 side here. #INDvENG
— Fabian Cowdrey (@fkcowdrey) October 18, 2021
India beats England by 7 wickets chasing down 189. Pakistan won today's match by 7 wickets as well. Both teams have to play their opening match against each other. Would be a great game!#INDvENG #ENGvIND #T20WorldCup
— Wajahat Kazmi (@KazmiWajahat) October 18, 2021
Also Read – MS Dhoni Joins Team India As Mentor For T20 World Cup 2021; BCCI Welcomes The ‘KING’