By: Tarish Bhatt
As expected, the Indian team warmed up perfectly in its first practice match in Perth by registering a comprehensive win over Western Australia.
Right from winning toss, Team India dominated the game and gave away nothing, and adjusted to the pace and bouncy conditions of the WACA.
Young Indian bowlers, pacers in particular, were pretty impressive and bowled with a lot of control and sting, as they restricted the hosts to a paltry 118.
Team India rounded off the contest by 74 runs, after they set an imposing 193-run target for Western Australia, courtesy Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
Both Dhawan and Kohli made firing fifties to put the visitors on course of a massive total. Dhoni ended the innings in his trademark style by playing a 14-ball cameo.
Dhawan, in particular, looked at ease on a bouncy pitch, while Kohli after facing some stinging deliveries settled down and played some big shots.
Dhoni, meanwhile, provided the finishing touch by making an unbeaten 24, featuring two massive sixes and a boundary towards the fag end of the innings.
Chasing 193 was always going to be difficult, and the task went massive when young pacer Barinder Sran provided two early jolts to Western Australia.
Then it was Ravindra Jadeja’s turn to trouble the hosts with his left-armers, and he also chipped-in with a couple of wickets. Axar Patel, too, chipped-in with two wickets.
Travis Birt, however, resisted till the very end and made a gutsy, unbeaten 60-ball 74. His effort went in vain, as he got no support from the other end.
It turned out to be a productive day for Team India in the middle today. They will not be playing a 50-over game tomorrow against the same opposition.
