In a perfect dress rehearsal for the Adelaide Test against Australia, India notched a convincing six-wicket victory over the Prime Minister's XI in a practice match at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on December 1. Chasing a target of 241 runs, India's batting lineup, led by Yashasvi Jaiswal (45*), Shubman Gill (50*), Nitish Reddy (42), and Washington Sundar (42*), successfully chased down the target. Earlier, Harshit Rana's impressive four-wicket haul restricted the PM XI to a modest total.
Rohit Sharma's reaction goes viral after Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal
Captain Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test, used this practice match to acclimatise to the conditions. However, he was dismissed for just three runs. Notably, Rohit did not open the innings and batted at number four. With KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal performing well at the top of the order, it's likely that Rohit will continue to bat in the middle order in the upcoming Adelaide Test.
Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal for just one run, caught down the leg side, prompted a frustrated reaction from the skipper Rohit Sharma. The Indian captain's reaction, a mix of laughter and frustration, puzzled the commentators.
Watch the video here
While India has made a strong start to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the job is far from over. To secure a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 final, India need a 4-0 series win. A victory in the upcoming Adelaide Test will only boost their final chances. However, the memory of their disastrous performance in the previous day-night Test in Adelaide, where they were bowled out for a historic low of 36 runs, lingers. Although India has a positive record in day-night Tests at home, their only overseas day-night Test experience ended in a humiliating defeat.
Meanwhile, after winning the match India skipper Rohit was content with his team's performance but also unhappy for 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.
