Team India defeated defending champions Australia by six runs in their first warm-up game at the Gabba in Brisbane on Monday, October 17.
Batting first, the Men in Blue scored 186/7 runs in their 20 overs. In reply, the Australian team could manage only 180 runs, falling short by six runs. Although Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami performed brilliantly for the Indian team, there is definitely an urgent need for improvement in some aspects.
On that note, let’s take a look at three areas of concern for India ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan.
#1 Poor form of captain Rohit Sharma
Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s poor form with the bat is becoming a concern for the team. The talismanic scorer managed to score only 15 runs off 14 balls in today’s practice match.
Rohit has been in poor form for some time now and it can definitely be a concern for Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup. But Rohit is a champion player and surely all Indian cricket fans hope that he will come back in form soon.
#2 Performance of Harshal Patel
Although Harshal Patel bowled well in the warm-up game to some extent, his economy rate remains high. Harshal gave 30 runs in three overs and dismissed Aaron Finch, who almost took Australia home.
Harshal made a brilliant comeback in the 19th over, conceding just five runs. Otherwise, his economy rate was well over 12. Harshal’s inability to get the right line and length has hurt Team India.
Interestingly, Mohammed Shami‘s heroic return has also put Harshal’s spot in the playing XI under the scanner.
#3 Playing 11 is still undecided
Team India decided to give almost all players a chance without playing with their final XI in the first warm-up match against Australia. Due to this, various doubts are still being raised about what will be Men in Blue’s final eleven in the T20 World Cup.
The countdown to the match against Pakistan has begun, and the time has come for the Indian team to secure their final XI as soon as possible.
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