(ANI Photo)
Team India engaged in their sole warm-up encounter preceding the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday (June 1) when they clashed with Bangladesh in New York. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian side secured a convincing win by a margin of 60 runs. Opting to bat first, India set a formidable target of 182 for 5 within the stipulated 20 overs, with Rishabh Pant showcasing his prowess with a half-century. Pant’s blistering innings of 53 runs off 32 deliveries, adorned with four boundaries and an equal number of sixes, laid a solid foundation. Suryakumar Yadav (31) and Hardik Pandya (40*) also contributed crucial runs.
In response, Bangladesh concluded their innings at 122 for 9. Arshdeep Singh initiated India’s dominance by dismissing Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das within the initial three overs, placing Bangladesh under early pressure from which they struggled to recover. At one juncture, Bangladesh found themselves in dire straits at 41 for 5 before Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah salvaged the innings, propelling the score beyond the 100-run mark.
Aakash Chopra voices his worry or expresses his apprehension.
The victory undoubtedly serves as a confidence booster for India, setting a positive tone for their upcoming matches in the World Cup. Nonetheless, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has raised some concerns regarding the form of certain players ahead of the main tournament.
During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Chopra voiced his apprehension about Shivam Dube’s batting form. The all-rounder’s lackluster performance, where he scored 14 runs off 16 balls, failed to leave a significant impact. Additionally, the former cricketer-turned-commentator expressed doubts regarding Ravindra Jadeja’s effectiveness as a finisher, citing Jadeja’s modest contribution of 4 runs from six deliveries in the match.
“One thing was slightly negative. We shouldn’t say negative but we expected a little better. Shivam Dube’s bat wasn’t striking the ball, which is not a good thing. Since Shivam Dube made two successive zeroes, the same Shivam Dube hasn’t been seen,” said Chopra.
“You want him to be in form because the number at which he is going to bat, he won’t get the time to find form. In my opinion, there is a question mark whether Ravindra Jadeja can play the finisher’s role. So that could be a slight problem. My main concern will be Jadeja’s batting form and Shivam Dube’s form,” he added
India finds itself placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Ireland, USA, and Canada for the tournament. Their debut match in the group stage is scheduled against Ireland on June 5th.
