India secured an emphatic win over the Prime Minister's XI in a rain-affected two-day warm-up match at Manuka Oval, Canberra on Sunday, December 1. Led by a fiery bowling spell from Harshit Rana and Shubman Gill's impressive fifty, India comprehensively chased down a target of 241 runs with six wickets in hand. India, having already secured a six-wicket victory, continued batting to maximise their practice time but in doing so they lost their fifth wicket in Sarfaraz Khan.
Little unlucky we could not get the whole game: Rohit Sharma
Meanwhile, right after winning the match India skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child Ahaan, was content with his team's performance. However, he also rued not getting the full two-day of practice which was truncated to just one due to rain on November 30.
"It was fantastic. We got what we wanted as a group. Little unlucky we could not get the whole game. Whatever time we got, we tried to make the most of it and we got whatever (out of what) we had in front of us. Absolutely fantastic (to see the crowd). We love to come to Australia and we love to see them come out and support us. Never been a time when they have come here and not turned up. Really nice to see people coming in and supporting us," Rohit said after the match.
Meanwhile, as far as the match is concerned, the return of Shubman Gill (50 off 62) was a positive sign for India, as he showcased his form with a half-century during the chase. Captain Rohit Sharma's (3) return also boosted the team's batting order ahead of the crucial second Test which is scheduled to be held in Adelaide from December 6. Interestingly, Rohit chose not to open the batting, with KL Rahul (27 off 44) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (45 off 59) taking the opening positions. This strategic move might hint at a potential change in the batting order for the second Test, especially considering Rahul's impressive performance in the first Test as an opener.
India's star players, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, did not participate fully in the warm-up match. Kohli did not bat, while Bumrah was rested from bowling, likely to provide opportunities for other team members to gain match practice.
India experimented with their batting order in the warm-up match. Shubman Gill batted at number three, followed by Rohit Sharma at number four. Other players like Nitish Kumar Reddy (42 off 32), Washington Sundar (42 off 36), Ravindra Jadeja (27 off 31), Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal also got valuable batting time.
India's strong batting performance, led by Shubman Gill's half-century and contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, secured a six-wicket victory over the Prime Minister's XI. The team successfully chased down the target of 241 runs in 42.5 overs.
Harshit Rana's impressive bowling spell, where he claimed four wickets in six balls, played a crucial role in restricting the PM's XI. Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed to India's bowling attack.
Sam Konstas' century for the PM's XI caught the eye of Australian selectors, as he showcased his potential as an opening batsman. The first day of the match was washed out due to rain, and the second day's play was shortened to 46 overs per side due to a brief rain interruption.
