India won their pink ball tour game against the Australian Prime Minister's XI in Canberra comfortably, defeating the hosts by six wickets in a run-chase of 241 in what was eventually reduced to a 46-over game.
After the first day was wiped out due to rain, the teams decided to make it a one-innings shoot-off, allowing the tourists some valuable practice. With the match not being recognised as a first-class game, both teams were allowed to field any set of 11 players while batting and bowling.
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Virat Kohli, each member of the squad played some part in the game, with the ball, bat, or in the field. India reached their target on the fifth ball of the 43rd over, but continued batting till the 46th. In the first innings, they had Sarfaraz Khan keep wickets after Rishabh Pant had a brief stint with the new ball, in what was perhaps an indication of the seriousness (or lack thereof) with which they approached the game.
There were, however, a few important plot points that were worth noting.
Rohit set to bat in the middle order
The biggest takeaway from the match was perhaps Rohit Sharma batting at four. The Indian captain had missed the opening Test in Perth due to personal reasons. In his absence, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal put up a record stand raising a dilemma for the management as to where to fit in Rohit. As it turned out, Rohit batted at four in the warm-up fixture, and was out for three off 11 balls.
Given this is the only competitive game time Rohit will have before the second Test, opening the batting here should have been the obvious move if he were to bat at the top of the order in Adelaide. However, the choice of batting in the middle order might be a clear indication that Rohit would sacrifice his opening slot for the remainder of the series (or at least until one of the openers fails).
Rohit Sharma was out for a low score while batting at no.4 in the tourists' tour game against the Australia Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.
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Gill fit and ready
Shubman Gill also missed the first Test, having suffered a thumb injury during training. There were doubts over his participation in this warm-up game two days out, but he turned up at No.3 and batted comfortably for 62 balls, scoring a 50 before retiring out. With five more days to go before the start of the Adelaide Test, Gill should have ample time to get back to 100 per cent fitness, if he is not there already.
As with Rohit, there was a lot of speculation over where he should bat if he is fit. If the tour game is anything to go by, Gill looks set to continue at his usual No.3 spot, with Rohit set to replace Dhruv Jurel down at six (or five).
Konstas puts his hand up
Teenage sensation Sam Konstas scored a fighting, counter-attacking hundred in the first innings, smashing the Indian bowlers all around the park. After seeing off a tough new ball spell by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in overcast conditions, Konstas displayed his range of strokes: reverse laps over the slips, slog sweeps off fast bowlers, flat-batted shots down the ground, and a lot more. He reached his hundred off just 90 balls even as the rest of the PM's XI lineup collapsed around him.
Konstas was in line for a potential Test debut in Perth, fighting for the second opener's slot along with three other players. Nathan McSweeney edged him to the spot, but with this knock of 107 (97), Konstas has thrown his hat back in the ring, particularly with a struggling Australian batting lineup. It wouldn't be a surprise if he is playing Test cricket by the end of the series.
Top three look solid against Boland
Scott Boland is all set to come back into the Australia playing XI for the pink ball Test in Adelaide following the injury to Josh Hazlewood. Boland averages 20.34 from 10 Tests, which drops down to 13.71 from two pink ball Tests. He featured in the PM's XI, getting some match practice under his belt and sent down 10 overs, the most among all Australian bowlers.
In a positive sign for India, openers Rahul and Jaiswal negotiated Boland well, rarely getting beaten. Gill faced a few of his deliveries as well, and while he did edge one through the slip cordon for four, the No.3 looked solid against the right-arm seamer as well. Boland conceded 36 in his ten overs, without taking a wicket. Jaiswal scored 4 (13), Rahul 11 (25), and Gill 13 (18) against him.
Boland is one of the most accurate seam bowlers going around, and is expected to be a huge threat with the pink ball for Indian batters. The expected top three getting valuable game time (and looking comfortable) against him augurs well for the visitors.
Ashwin not in immediate plans?
R Ashwin was among the three players that didn't play any part in the warm-up game in Canberra. The veteran off-spinner didn't play in the Perth Test as well. On the other hand, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja both sent down 6.2 and 5 overs respectively, and batted for 30-plus balls each.
While this does not confirm Ashwin's omission from the playing XI for the Adelaide Test, it does indicate that chances of that happening are high. India prefered Sundar over him in Perth for his superior batting pedigree and better bowling form. While Ashwin did play and do well in the previous pink ball Test in Adelaide four years back, one would assume he'd have liked to spend some time in the middle in a match environment before the Test, if he was in the mix.
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