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ICC Champions Trophy: 5 key takeaways for India from warm-up tie against New Zealand

Here are the five key takeaways from the first warm-up match between India and New Zealand ahead of Champions Trophy 2017.

London, May 29: Team India had a perfect start to their Champions Trophy 2017 preparations as they registered a resounding 45-run victory against New Zealand in their first warm-up game on Sunday (May 28).

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Defending champions India hit all the right chords in the warm-up game which was stopped due to rain and Men In Blue were declared winners by Duckworth-Lewis method.

India skipper Virat Kohli came good after an impressive show from the bowlers in the practice match at the Oval.

Indian bowlers started the proceedings for India on a promising note as they restricted Kiwis to a paltry 189 in 38.4 overs.

Comeback man Mohammed Shami (3/47 in 8 overs) along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/28 in 6.4 overs) shared bulk of the spoils to dismiss New Zealand.

In reply, India were 129 for 3 in 26 overs, when rain stopped play but they were comfortably ahead of the Black Caps as per Duckworth-Lewis par score of 84 after 26 overs.

India's charismatic skipper and batting mainstay, Kohli, began English summer on positive note as he smashed an unbeaten half-century while his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played some delightful strokes.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan spent some quality time in the middle hitting 40 off 59 balls.

Dhawan's performance would cement his position in the team while Ajinkya Rahane's lean patch with the bat continued as he was dismissed for 7. Rahane is unlikely to find a place in the starting XI against Pakistan on June 4.

Dinesh Karthik was another batsman who couldn't impress with the bat as he was dismissed for duck. After being promoted ahead of Kedar Jadhav, Karthik couldn't make use of the opportunity as he was troubled with the swinging conditions.

Although, India's batting wasn't tested to its potential but there were a lot of positives from the first warm-up game.

Here are 5 key takeaways for India from the warm-up tie against New Zealand:

1. Mohammed Shami's impressive comeback:

1. Mohammed Shami's impressive comeback:

Playing in his first 50-over game for India since the 2015 World Cup semi-final, the 27-year-old Shami quickly got into the act and removed Martin Guptill in the third over, the extra bounce catching the batsman by surprise.

Shami then broke a 43-run partnership between Luke Ronchi and Williamson, when the pacer had the skipper Williamson caught at wide slip by a diving Ajinkya Rahane.

Shami struck again on the very next ball when he induced an edge from Neil Broom, reaping the benefits of some tight bowling, as the ball moved away slightly. Shami picked up 3 wickets from 8 overs and conceded 47 runs.

If the speedster continues with this form then Team India have all the reasons to cheer.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who was in the commentary box, praised Shami for his bowling and said the latter will improve as the tournament progresses.

Image Courtesy: BCCI

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar lives up to expectations

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar lives up to expectations

Living up to the reputation of India's most lethal seamer in English conditions, Bhuvneshwar picked up 3 wickets from 6.4 overs.

The speedster leaked 28 runs from his spell and troubled Kiwi batsmen with his swing.

Bhuvneshwar bowled dangerous Corey Anderson at a good time from the Indian perspective as the Kiwi looked set for more.

He then wrapped up the Kiwi innings by taking the wickets of tail enders Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

Skipper Virat Kohli would be hoping similar performances from him in the tournament.

3. Ashwin-Jadeja put up a good show

3. Ashwin-Jadeja put up a good show

India's spin pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja once again sent signals to the opposition teams with their good show.

Jadeja, world's number one ranked bowler in Tests, picked up 2 wickets from 4 overs he bowled.

The left-arm spinner gave runs miserly as New Zealand batsmen could only score 8 runs from his overs.

Ashwin, on the other hand, picked up one wickets from 6 overs he bowled.

The off-spinner made a comeback on the cricket field after a gap of two months but impressed all with his variations during the practice match.

4. Shikhar Dhawan showed skills and aggression

4. Shikhar Dhawan showed skills and aggression

The left-handed batsman who was named player of the tournament in the previous edition of the ICC Champions Trophy looked good after making his comeback in India's limited overs team.

The opener got some quality time out there in the middle as he scored 40 off 59 balls with the help of five boundaries, mostly square off the wicket. Dhawan looked in good touch as his innings were mixed with caution as well as aggression.

It seems the left-hander has just cemented his position in the side as Rohit Sharma's opening partner.

If Dhawan continues his good form from IPL 10 to the ICC event then there's no stopping the left-hander.

Image Courtesy: BCCI

5. Virat Kohli gets back in form

5. Virat Kohli gets back in form

It was a delight for the Indian team as well as fans to watch Virat Kohli score runs in the warm-up game. Starting the English summer on a bright note, Kohli hit an unbeaten 52 off 55 balls.

The 28-year-old did play a few uppish shots but controlled an easy run-chase adding 68 runs for the second wicket with Dhawan.

More importantly, Kohli got a fair amount of game time which will keep in good stead. There was a straight drive off Adam Milne, a couple of cover drives off Tim Southee, an elegant pull-shot.

There were a couple of uppish drives which could have gone into the hands of the fielder but Kohli looked positive. The right-hander mostly played grounded shots in his innings.

Kohli's innings must have relieved the dressing room for their skipper has resumed his form and a warning to the opposition teams.

Image Courtesy: ICC

OneIndia News

Story first published: Thursday, August 3, 2017, 7:50 [IST]
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