Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey
sparkled with half-centuries but rest of India's batsmen put up a lacklustre performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match here today.
Having won the first practice Twenty20, the Indians once managed to hit the right notes in bowling after an erratic batting performance at the WACA. After managing 249 all out in 49.1
overs, the Indians packed WA XI for 185 in 49.2 overs.
Electing to bat, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side did not have the best of starts, losing two quick wickets but Rohit Sharma (67) and Ajinkya Rahane (41) stitched an 88-run third-wicket partnership to help the visitors put up a respectable score.
Shikhar Dhawan (4) and Virat Kohli (7), who were top- scorers in the first warm-up T20 game yesterday, failed to get going as they fell to new-ball bowler Drew Porter, who bagged a five-wicket haul.
The WA bowlers kept pegging things back with regular wickets and Rahane's departure once again spelt trouble for the Men in Blue.
Pandey then put his hand up to contribute with a well-made 58 and stake his claim for a place in the middle-order in the absence of Suresh Raina.
Pandey, who hit three fours in his 59-ball stay, managed a 60-run seventh-wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (26) to pace up the innings.
But the tail failed to wag and Rishi Dhawan's (0) run-out didn't help matters and the visitors could not last their full quota of 50 overs.
Porter (5-37) made life difficult for the Indian batsmen on a fast and bouncy track while leg-spinner James Muirhead chipped in with two scalps. Pace spearhead David Moody and leg-spinner Liam O'Connor bagged a wicket apiece.
In reply, the William Bosisto-led side started on a cautious note against a disciplined Indian attack led by Umesh Yadav (1-29), but soon hit a rough patch after losing a couple of wickets.
Yadav drew first blood with the wicket of Bosisto (13) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-32) soon sprung into action to send back D'Arcy Short (10).
(REOPENS FGN 10)
Ravindra Jadeja (2-38) and Rishi Dhawan (2-28) also struck in quick succession as WA soon started losing their way. Jadeja trapped opener Jake Carder LBW for 45.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2-29) got wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis for 17, while Ashwin struck again to get Porter (10) caught behind.
No.7 Jaron Morgan made a fighting 50, but his innings came too late in the day with the asking rate and the target beyond their reach.
Jadeja, Patel and Gurkeerat Singh then bagged a wicket each to wipe off the tail.
Both the teams were allowed to play all 14 members of their squad in the 50-over game with only 11 allowed to bat and field at a time.
The first of the five ODIs starts January 12 at the same venue.
The first boundary came in the sixth over bowled by Rabbi
when Pujara opened the face of his bat to glide it past the point region.
The seasoned players, who have been involved in some great partnerships over the years, decided to see off the new ball with the first 10 overs yielding only 26 runs.
Once Soumya Sarakar was introduced as the first-change bowler in the 11th over, Indian batsmen opened with Pujara whipping him for a boundary.
A cautious Vijay then showed his range of strokes using Rabbi's pace and extra bounce to good effect. He pulled the pacer thrice for boundaries.
The first two were pull shots behind square and the third was past square leg - a typical 'Nataraja Shot' that would remind one of Kapil Dev. He hit an eye catching cover drive off Taskin.
Vijay looked in good touch and Pujara's defence seemed impregnable as Bangladesh bowlers were outbatted in the second hour.
