- By Himanshu Badola
- Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:28 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India overcame the pink ball challenge against Australia's Prime Minister's XI as they registered a convincing six-wicket win at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Sunday.
The two-day warm-up match was reduced to 46 overs per side contest where India came out on top in all departments.
The match turned out a promising preparatory assignment for the Rohit Sharma-led side ahead of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide.
The second Test of the five-match series will be a pink-ball match and is scheduled to begin on December 6.
Apart from winning the match, India got a few positives as well including the comeback of skipper Rohit Sharma who missed the first Test in Perth.
India won the series opener by 295 runs at the Optus Stadium to go 1-0 up in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
KL Rahul-Yashasvi Jaiswal's opening pair continues
India were forced to introduce the opening pair of Rahul and Jaiswal in the Perth Test and the duo came up with a match-winning effort.
They once again opened together in Canberra against the PM XI and proved that they are ready for the new ball challenge in the upcoming matches as well.
Jaiswal and Rahul stitched a 75-run stand an are expected to open in the Adelaide Test as well with skipper Rohit most likely be shifting down the order.
Rohit Sharma's return
Rohit, who missed the Perth Test due to personal reasons, played in the pink-ball match against PM XI.
He might not have scored runs to impress but looked pretty relaxed, having joined the team ahead of the all-important Adelaide Test.
Rohit also had funny banters with Sarfaraz Khan behind the wickets which shows the atmosphere within the team.
Gill's return and performance
Shubman Gill missed the first Test due to a thumb injury he sustained during the match simulation.
Gill, who was said to have recovered well, played at the no.3 position and ended up scoring a remarkable half-century.
He played a 50-run knock in 62 balls on the back of seven boundaries.
Consistency in lower-middle order
India's lower-middle order looked in promising touch against the PM XI which is a good sign for the visitors ahead of the Adelaide Test.
Adding to India's positives, Nitish Reddy came up with a similar attacking approach which he unleashed in the Perth Test on his debut.
He played a 42-run knock in just 32 balls against the PM XI with the help of five fours and a six.
Washington Sundar remained unbeaten on 42 runs in 36 balls whereas Ravindra Jadeja made a crucial contribution of 27 runs.
Bowling department looks ready
The bowling department impressed as well against the PM XI with Harshit Rana playing a big hand.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Rana took the responsibility in his hands and took four wickets for 44 runs whereas Akash Deep found two scalps.
Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja took a wicket each as well.
