All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s form and few batting slots will be foremost on captain Virat Kohli’s mind as India look to make the most of two T20 World Cup warm-up matches starting with a game against England on Monday (October 18). With all the Indian players coming straight from the recently-concluded IPL, match practice isn't a problem for Kohli and his men but getting the perfect combination on the park before the high-profile opening game against Pakistan on October 24 is a priority.
Against England and the Wednesday’s game versus Australia, the Indian team management would look to give the players who are still not automatic choices in the playing XI, more overs to bat or bowl to get a better idea about their current form. Vice-captain Rohit Sharma is a certainty at the top but it would be a tough choice between Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul as his opening partner.
It could well be a case where both are given a fair go at the top of the order to see who is in better touch. Rahul will be the favourite considering that he has the experience of playing pressure matches and is in good form having amassed 626 runs (including 30 sixes) at a strike-rate of 138.80 in 14 IPL games.
Sound on!
This is very satisfying @JosButtler | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/h9LC3ptF6E
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 17, 2021
Such numbers make him the favourite to pip Kishan but it is worth mentioning that Rahul's statistic improved substantially during an inconsequential game for Punjab Kings against Chennai Super Kings, in which he scored 98 not out off 42 balls with eight sixes and seven fours.
Kishan was brilliant as Rohit’s opening partner in the last two games as he nearly took Mumbai Indians into the play-offs with two blazing fifties. If Rahul is the team’s preferred choice, Kishan might just force Hardik into the No. 6 slot in the batting order, which is ideal for a finisher. For MI, both Hardik and Kishan had underwhelming returns in the UAE leg.
Similarly, in the spin bowling department, Ravindra Jadeja may have two spinners playing with him and Varun Chakravarthy is all but confirmed if he remains fit. The third spinner's choice is between Rahul Chahar's leg-breaks and R Ashwin's off-breaks. During the captain’s meet, skipper Virat Kohli praised Chahar junior for extracting good pace off the slow UAE wickets, which has enabled him to keep the more seasoned Yizvendra Chahal out of the team.
Teams (From):
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya.
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
When and what time will the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England start?
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England begins on October 18 at 7:30 PM IST.
Where will ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England take place?
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England will take place in Dubai.
How to watch the live streaming of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England in India?
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up match between India vs England will stream live on the Disney+Hotsar app and website.
