India beat Bangladesh: Here are key takeaways from warm-up match
India came up with a commendable performance as they beat Bangladesh by 95 runs in the second and final warm-up tie of the ICC World Cup 2019 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Tuesday. Having lost the opening warm-up to New Zealand on Saturday, India made sure that they didn't repeat the same mistakes. Here are the key takeaways following this win.
India could have tried Ravindra Jadeja at number four
While this may sound weird, but since India are still experimenting with their number four spot, an unlikely candidate in the form of Ravindra Jadeja could have been tried out in this warm-up. It must be noted that in two ODIs, Jadeja did batting at number four, scoring 58 runs at the same average, with a top score of an unbeaten 48. What say?
India's watchful power-play start a positive sign
Unlike the last warm-up, India were off to a watchful start in the power-play against Bangladesh. While they scored only 34 for the loss of a wicket in the opening 10, it actually led to the foundation of a big total, allowing the top-order to perfectly settle down. As a result, it also became easier for the middle-order batsmen to play their natural game.
KL Rahul over Vijay Shankar for number four?
Who will bat at number for India? This remains a million-dollar question. While Vijay Shankar was being backed by the selectors, courtesy of his all-round skills, KL Rahul's majestic innings of 108 in this tie might have changed the equation. Moreover, with Shankar failing to fire, getting dismissed for only two runs, we believe Rahul should be the ideal man.
Dhoni continues from where he left off in IPL 2019
Indian fans were extremely relieved to see MS Dhoni going all out in this tie. He played an exquisite innings of 113 off 78 deliveries, that included eight boundaries and seven sixes. These are indeed signs that he is enjoying a good form. However, if he can script this magic against other teams, rather than the Asian teams, remains to be seen.
Mohammed Shami to open attack with the new ball?
In a surprise move, Mohammed Shami was handed the new ball to open India's bowling attack in this tie. Having bowled four in the power-play, Shami was economical, giving away just 22 runs. Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was brought in the ninth over. Although Bhuvi's stats with the new ball are amazing, Shami's fine form could see him get the nod ahead of Bhuvi.
Here's how the match panned out
Winning the toss, Bangladesh invited India to bat first. Following a slow start, the Indian batsmen picked up the pace and posted a mammoth total of 359/7, courtesy Rahul's 108 and Dhoni's 113. In reply, it was spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/47) and Yuzvendra Chahal (3/55) that destroyed the Bangladeshi batting order, while other bowlers too contributed decently as India won the match.
