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India has made the right beginning. They downed defending champions, Australia, to kick-start their World Cup preparation on a bright note. Rohit Sharma and his men scored 186/7 while batting first in their 20 overs. In reply, the Aussies were shot out for 180 runs in 20 overs.ย
WE ARE #TeamIndia#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/BCxvqK60ni
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 18, 2022
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The major gains from the victory were the improvement in fielding and death over bowling from India. Indian superstar Virat Kohli led from the front, with a stunning run out to dismiss dangerous batter Tim David. After minutes, Kohli took another blinder of a catch off Mohammed Shamiโs bowling in the last over to make it two memorable moments in the same match. India fielded better in the warm-up game when compared to their previous games in the bilateral series.ย
Mission #T20WorldCup ๐
All-rounder @hardikpandya7 discusses it all as #TeamIndia gear up for the marquee event๐ ๐ – By @RajalArora
Full interview ๐ฅ ๐ฝhttps://t.co/Kl71g3ILJ8 pic.twitter.com/rcyNcpL4B4
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2022
Another big boost has been the bowling in the death overs. Harshal Patel just went for four runs and a leg bye in his 19th over to finish his spell on a decent note. Mohammed Shami, who made a comeback into cricket after an injury hiatus, bowled the 20th over. Shami just needed six balls to prove his worth, to be a permanent member of the T20 side. He finished with 3-4 in his one-over as India clinched the game.ย
Can India keep shining?
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India has ticked many boxes ahead of the World Cup. Some of their concerns like team combination have been well addressed in the three warm-up games. As revealed by skipper Rohit Sharma, they have decided the final eleven for the Pakistan game. So, India will not be short of confidence while entering into the big event.ย
What A Win! ๐ ๐#TeamIndia beat Australia by 6โฃ runs in the warm-up game! ๐ ๐
Scorecard โถ๏ธ https://t.co/3dEaIjgRPS #T20WorldCup | #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/yqohLzZuf2
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2022
However, Men in Blue needs to be careful in the group stages. A loss can take them to the back foot of the tournament. Each win can increase the chances of entering the semifinal, and each loss can take the case behind. India needs to win at least four of the five games, with a fine run rate to make it to the semifinal.ย
Indiaโs chances in the semifinal
According to many experts, Australia and England are the favourites for entering the semifinal from the other group. New Zealand too has an outside chance to get into the last four.ย
.@BhuviOfficial picks up his second wicket as Glenn Maxwell departs.
Live – https://t.co/3dEaIjz140 #INDvAUS #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/sHW9EScuLh
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2022
T20 is all about handling the crucial moments. India needs to ensure they play the pressure game better, as it can lead a long way to gaining an upper hand over the opposition.ย
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