India defeated England by seven wickets in their first warm-up game of the T20 World Cup at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. Batting first, Jos Buttler and co put up a 189-run target, which the men in blue chased with an over to spare. Opener KL Rahul scored a 24-ball-51 while Ishan Kishan was retired hurt after a chiselled 70 off 46 balls. 

Rishabh Pant (29 not out, 14 balls) smashed the bowlers, while Suryakumar Yadav (8 off 8 balls) did look a bit scratchy during his brief stay.

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Hardik Pandya, who is supposed to be the “designated finisher” in this line-up, came to the crease with 21 needed off 15 balls and he hit a few streaky shots in his 16 not out in 10 balls.

India’s two senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah (1/26) and Mohammed Shami (3/40) hit the straps straightaway with some fast and accurate deliveries.

Here are some key takeaways from the game – 

1) KL Rahul is prepared to dominate the tournament:

The Punjab Kings skipper came to the tournament after scoring 626 runs in 13 games, averaging just more than 62. Against England in the warm-up game, Rahul, who is often criticised for his strike rate, brought up his fifty in 24 balls. Rahul made batting look easy with six boundaries and three sixes. He looked elegant throughout the innings as he smacked the English pacers for the first 8.2 overs. 

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2) Ishan Kishan makes a strong case:

Ishan Kishan might me just more than a ‘back-up opener’ in the T20 World Cup. The wicket-keeper batsman, who opened alongside Rahul in the warm-up game in absence on Rohit Sharma, top-scored for India with 70 runs. Kishan, dropped twice, kept slogging all-through his stay at the crease. He had three sixes apart from seven boundaries against his name. The Mumbai Indians player’s brilliant touch means that both Rahul and Rohit Sharma will have to up their ante or Kishan will take over. 

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2) Bhuvneshwar Kumar misses:

India in the first game ticked some boxes that includes two senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah (1/26) and Mohammed Shami (3/40) hitting the straps straightaway with some fast and accurate deliveries.

The third angle to this ‘triangle’ — Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, consistently missed the length giving away 54 runs in four overs.