India beat Australia by 9 wickets in their second warm-up match of the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai on Wednesday. Chasing the target of 153 runs, KL Rahul (39) and Rohit Sharma (60) gave a flying start to India with their 68-run opening stand. Stand-in skipper Rohit completed his half-century in 36 balls after Rahul got out on a brilliant turning ball from Aston Agar. Suryakumar Yadav, who came to bat at No.3, in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli also batted well with his unbeaten 38-run knock. India's last hero in the last match, Ishan Kishan didn't get an opportunity to bat in this game but he was seen keeping the wickets instead of Rishabh Pant. Earlier, the Aaron Finch-led side ended its innings at 152 runs after being reduced to 11/3 in the fourth over. Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (2/8), Ravindra Jadeja (1/35) and Rahul Chahar (1/17) picked up wickets at regular intervals but India's old nemesis, Steve Smith (57), came back to haunt them. Smith scored a half-century in 41 balls and added 76 runs for the fifth wicket with Marcus Stoinis (41*). Smith also added 61 runs with Glenn Maxwell (37) for the fourth wicket. India's designated captain Virat Kohli was seen bowling a few overs as the team management is looking for a 6th bowling option ahead of the side's tournament opener against Pakistan on October 24.
T20 World Cup 2021, India vs Australia Warm-Up Cricket Match Highlights Straight From ICC Academy Ground, Dubai
- 18:50 (IST)India Win By 9 Wickets!SIX!!! Hardik Pandya finishes in style.
- 18:48 (IST)FOUR!Richardson to Suryakumar, FOUR. What a shot from SKY!!
- 18:31 (IST)SIX!Another SIX!! for Rohit Sharma. He got to the position early and picked up the short-length delivery from Cummins very easily. 50 partnership between these two.
- 18:29 (IST)FOUR!Stoinis to Suryakumar Yadav, slower bouncer and FOUR!! Extra-ordinary shot from SKY to fine leg.
- 18:28 (IST)50 Up For Rohit!50 up for Rohit Sharma with a boundary against Marcus Stoinis. So, now all three players who are selected as openers in Indian squad- Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have got fifties in warm-up games. It will be a tough call for skipper and team management to adjust all three of them in the playing XI.
- 18:22 (IST)SIX!SIX!! Out of the park again! He played with full power against an off-spin ball from Maxwell.
- 18:20 (IST)SIX!Marsh to Rohit, the ball has gone all over for a maximum. Good bat swing from Rohit Sharma.
- 18:09 (IST)Rahul OUT!Agar to Rahul, OUT!! caught by Warner just near the boundary line.
- 17:56 (IST)50 Partnership!Zampa to Rahul, SIX, straight down the ground. 50 partnership between Indian openers.
- 17:55 (IST)SIX!Zampa to Rahul, SIX, out of the ground. He is continuing from where he left in IPL.
- 17:47 (IST)FOUR!Zampa to Rohit, FOUR! Easy boundary for the Indian opener.
- 17:37 (IST)SIX!SIX!! Amazing shot from KL Rahul to left-arm spinner Agar.
- 17:36 (IST)10 runs from the over with that boundary on the last ball from Rohit Sharma.
- 17:35 (IST)FOUR!Cummins to Rohit, FOUR, to third man. Good shot from Rohit!!
- 17:31 (IST)7 Runs From 1st Over!Outside edge and FOUR to third man. KL Rahul will finish this over with a boundary but Starc has bowled at good length in the first over.
- 17:29 (IST)India Need 153 Runs To Win!FOUR on the last ball and Australia finished their innings at 152.
- 17:11 (IST)OUT!Bhuvneshwar to Smith, OUT caught by Rohit.
- 17:04 (IST)SIX!Chakaravarthy to Stoinis, SIX!! 10 runs from two balls in this over. Australia are eyeing for a good finish.
- 17:00 (IST)FOURBhuvneshwar tried for a yorker but Smith has played a brilliant shot for a boundary to the leg side.
- 16:58 (IST)FOUR!FOUR!!!! Good shot from Stoinis to mid-wicket region against Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
- 16:55 (IST)50 Up For Smith!Steve Smith completes his fifty with a single. He played really well today after his team was in trouble.
- 16:53 (IST)FOUR!Thakur to Smith, FOUR!! to backward point. Three boundaries in a row for Smith.
- 16:48 (IST)FOUR!Chakaravarthy to Stoinis, FOUR on his first ball. Good shot by Stoinis!
- 16:44 (IST)FOUR!Thakur to Smith, FOUR, extra covers. That was an extra-ordinary shot from Smith!!
- 16:31 (IST)Chahar Removes Maxwell!OUT!! BOWLED!! Rahul Chahar has given the breakthrough as Glenn Maxwell has to depart after a good show with the bat.
- 16:28 (IST)FOUR!Rahul Chahar to Maxwell, switch hit and FOUR to third man. Maxwell is going big against spinners.
- 16:26 (IST)Maxwell On Fire!Jadeja to Maxwell, FOUR, mid-wicket. Back to back boundaries for Maxwell and he has targetted Jadeja right from his first over.
- 16:17 (IST)FOUR!FOUR!! Good shot from Steve Smith against Rahul Chahar to fine leg. 50 up for Australia.
- 16:14 (IST)FOUR!Jadeja to Smith, FOUR, to third man. Poor fielding from Shardul Thakur!!
- 16:06 (IST)Virat Kohli Comes To Bowl!Virat Kohli has come out to bowl!!!! Rohit mentioned he was not the part of playing XI in this game but here is the India's regular with the ball.
- 16:02 (IST)Back-To-Back BoundariesTwo FOURS in two balls for Glenn Maxwell!!!! He was in top form during the IPL and that is helping him here as well.
- 15:49 (IST)OUT!OUT!! LBW!! Jadeja strikes on his first ball as Australian skipper Aaron Finch has to go this time. Third wicket falls for Australia.
- 15:43 (IST)FOUR!Bhuvneshwar to Finch, FOUR straight down the ground. First boundary of the day.
- 15:41 (IST)Two In Two For Ashwin!Another one for Ashwin and this time Mitchell Marsh has to depart. He is on a hat-trick now. Good over from India's supreme off-spinner.
- 15:39 (IST)Ashwin Strikes In His First Over!Ashwin to Warner, OUT!! LBW!! Another bad day for David Warner and Australia might have to think up on the opener's form.
- 15:36 (IST)Ashwin Bowls 2nd Over!Not a fast bowler but it's Ravichandran Ashwin is bowling the second over.
- 15:34 (IST)3 Runs From 1st Over!Good first over by Bhuvneshwar Kumar!! Just 3 runs and David Warner was struggling.
- 15:29 (IST)Virat Kohli Out For Fielding!India's regular skipper Virat Kohli who is not the part of this warm-up game, has come to out to field.
- 15:23 (IST)Rohit Gives Big Update On Hardik Pandya Bowling!Rohit Sharma has given a big update on Hardik Pandya bowling by saying the all-rounder might start bowling before the start of the tournament.
- 15:06 (IST)Australia opt to bat!Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bat. Virat Kohli has been rested and Rohit Sharma is leading India.