India had a good workout with the bat and ball in the practice T20 game on Friday, and now it is over to the 50-over format against the same opposition – Western Australia XI -- at the same ground – the WACA.
Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan were the standout batsmen in the T20 warm-up match, scoring identical 74s to help the Indians to a total of 192. After that good batting effort, in which MS Dhoni also showed signs of finding form, the bowlers performed quite well, with Barinder Sran impressing with his left-arm pace bowling.
The 74-run victory would have felt nice for India, and the team will hope to get another let's-get-as-much-batting-and-bowling-done-as-possible outing in against Western Australia XI on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma unnecessarily ran himself out in the first warm-up match, but that has far from dampened the right-hander's mood as he looks forward to, not just this practice match, but the entire series against Australia, starting with the first ODI on Tuesday.
"We will have close to a week's time here before we play our first ODI," Rohit told BCCI's official website. "We do know what to expect from the conditions at Perth. I have played some cricket here in the past and my preparations will be according to that.
"I will be trying to get into the groove and would be looking to get my positions right. Also, getting my basics right will top my list. I will try to be a bit innovative and see what would work for me and what not.
"It is an exciting venue and you get a lot of value for your shots with a bit of bounce and carry off the pitch. I am looking forward to the first ODI."
Before the first ODI, Dhoni will be keen to give an opportunity to the likes of Gurkeerat Singh Mann, who came into bat late on, but only faced one ball, and Mohammed Shami, particularly the fast bowler, who was not used in the T20 match on Friday. Shami is coming off a long-term injury, but having been India's main bowler in similar conditions at the World Cup last year, Dhoni will be keen to get his strike bowler up and running.
With the T20 specialists not in Australia yet, India only have the ODI squad to choose from, which is a bit of a pity, as it would have been great to see Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and co. strike a few balls out of the ground, even in this practice game.
Squads: India: MS Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Rishi Dhawan, Barinder Sran.
Western Australia XI: Will Bosisto (C), Alex Bevilaqua, Jake Carder, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, David Moody, Jaron Morgan, James Muirhead, Liam O'Connor, Drew Porter, Darcy Short, Mark Turner.
Where to Watch Live
India vs WA XI score and results
Mohammed Shami suffers another injury
This day-night one-day game is scheduled for a 2.30 pm local time (12 pm IST, 5.30 pm AEDT, 6.30 am GMT, 1.30 am ET) start. Live coverage of the match on TV, unfortunately, is not available. Viewers in India can watch the match via live stream on Starsports.com.
Cricket Australia Live and Optus Sport Facebook Page will also provide online coverage via live streaming.
