T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs AUS: 5 takeaways from India's win over Australia in warm-up match

India registered a thrilling six-run victory over hosts and defending champions Australia in a warm-up fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Monday, October 17. Rohit Sharma and Co. successfully defended 186 at the Gabba in Brisbane owing to a number of pivotal contributions.

Having posted 186/7 thanks to half-centuries from KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav, the bowlers found the going tough, with Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell causing trouble. A masterful display in the death overs, backed by moments of brilliance on the field by Virat Kohli, saw the Men in Blue storm back in style to cross the finish line.

This game was more than just the end result though. There were some key aspects to figure out ahead of the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. India will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23, and will be pleased to have identified a number of positives today.

The Men in Blue will play another warm-up fixture against New Zealand in Brisbane on Wednesday, October 19.

Here's a look at five takeaways from today's contest:

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#1 India's batting order seems to be locked in for the T20 World Cup

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, skipper Rohit mentioned that he's sure about his playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday. The batting order during the warm-up fixture against Australia lent further weight to that notion.

India stuck to the same batting combination that they fielded for large swathes of the series against Australia and South Africa back home. Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda didn't bat despite India losing a few wickets in the second half of their essay. They stuck to their batting order with Ravichandran Ashwin walking out at No. 8 in the last over.

Clearly, it was a sign that they were keen to prepare their first-choice batting line-up to simulate a similar scenario should they bump into one in the Super 12.

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#2 Ashwin could start ahead of Chahal

The contrasting fortunes of Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in recent times have put the former to start as the frontline spinner. His defensive bowling skills, coupled with a batting upswing, are an enticing proposition to leave out with Chahal leaking runs frequently.

Even on Monday, the signs were indicative of the same, with Ashwin batting at No. 8 and getting the ball ahead of his Rajasthan Royals teammate.

Chahal didn't help his cause either with Maxwell taking him on and the signs are pointing towards him having to wait a little longer for his T20 World Cup debut.

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#3 Axar Patel needs runs with the bat

Axar Patel showcased his hitting prowess in the second ODI against the West Indies in July, vaulting India out of trouble to clinch a thriller. However, he is relatively untested with the bat in Australian conditions.

He also happens to be the sole left-handed batting option in India's T20 World Cup squad, with Pant unlikely to feature. He could well be pushed up the order to take on favorable matchups against left-arm spin. Having failed to get going from the word go today, it is clear that he needs time out in the middle.

This is something that India will look to address in their second T20 World Cup warm-up fixture against New Zealand on Wednesday.

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#4 Is the dip back in Harshal Patel's off-cutter?

India's long-standing 19th over syndrome turned a new corner on Monday, with Harshal Patel firing his yorkers for fun. What was most pleasing about it was the manner in which he also used his dexterous off-cutter to good effect.

It may be noted that this has been his USP for a while now in the IPL, foxing the batters with his late dip on the ball. Post this year's IPL in particular, though, it had seemingly gone amiss with the pace and length becoming too predictable.

His run of form into the T20 World Cup hasn't been promising and he took some taps in his first couple of overs too today. But his stellar showing in the death overs was a huge shot in the arm for India with Jasprit Bumrah not there to do their bidding.

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#5 Mohammad Shami in fine rhythm

Brought off the bench towards the end of India's defense, Mohammad Shami was directly tasked with bowling the 20th over. Defending 11 runs, he executed an assortment of yorkers at will and sent the bails flying all around to script a dramatic turnaround for the Men in Blue.

Having been drafted in as Bumrah's replacement for the T20 World Cup, his rhythm and confidence would have pleased the Indian team management to no end. He is also the quickest bowler in the squad and while he may not necessarily start against Pakistan, his over today was as good a statement as he could have made.

It might be too early to read into a solitary over but it's quite clear that he is on top of his rhythm. This may just open up the team to more options going forward.

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What do you make of the Indian team's confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup? Let us know below in the comments section!

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