Key takeaways from the India vs PM XI warm-up match ahead of the Adelaide Test

The two-day clash against Prime Ministers XI was a significant opportunity for India ahead of the second Test in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. While the visitors started off in the best possible way, the next BGT contest is slated to be the real trial for India. The second match of the five-match series is scheduled to be a day-night affair played in Adelaide. The last time India faced the pink ball in Adelaide, the team stumbled their way into the wrong pages of the record book. The 36 all-out by India in the second innings of the 2020 Adelaide Test is still registered as the lowest total scored by a team in Test cricket. Thus, as India prepared for a similar challenge in the ongoing edition of the BGT, the warm-up match in Canberra provided the right conditions for India to acclimatize before going head-on against the Kangaroos at the Adelaide Oval.

India vs PM XI warm-up: As it happened in Canberra

Scheduled to start on November 30 at the Manuka Oval, the warm-up action commenced late as rain played the spoilsport. After the first day of the game was called off, the India vs PM XI match was reduced to a 50-over game. Rohit Sharma, playing his first game since the home Test defeat against New Zealand, opted to bowl first against Prime Ministers XI. The fairly new bowling lineup, consisting of Harshit Rana, dealt impressively with the pink cherry. Apart from Rana, India’s pace attack consisted of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna, who got valuable time with the pink ball, each delivering at least six overs. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also bowled over five overs each.

With Harshit Rana scalping 4 wickets for 44 runs, India restricted the Jack Edwards-led team to 240. Sam Konstas came up with a notable performance for the team as the youngster smashed a 90-ball century. Konstas was in the running to join the Australia squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy before Nathan McSweeney jumped the pecking order and claimed the opening position. Now, with Marnus Labuschagne continuing his struggle with the bat and McSweeney's forgettable knock in the opening position in Perth, Konstas put forth a serious case for selection in the squad.

Another rain-marred delay on day two in Canberra rendered the match shortened to a 46-over game. As India's turn to bat came, a surprising shuffle appeared in the batting order. In the absence of Rohit Sharma from the opening Test, KL Rahul left an unforgettable mark in the opening position. However, despite the 201-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, it was anticipated that the Indian skipper would reclaim the opening spot, pushing KL Rahul down to No.3. However, the Indian captain sent KL Rahul along with Jaiswal to open against PM XI as he took the No.4 spot.

While batting, India retained their in-form opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul despite Rohit Sharma’s availability. The duo faced a challenging pink-ball spell but managed to get some useful time in the middle. Rahul retired after a steady start, paving the way for Shubman Gill, who made a strong comeback from his thumb injury with a fluent half-century. Gill announced his readiness to play the Adelaide Test with his seamless flow of the bat. Rohit, however, batting in the middle order, struggled to find rhythm, nicking behind after scoring just three runs. However, all-rounders Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar made the most of their opportunities, smashing quickfire 40s to push India’s total to 257 in their allotted overs.

India claimed the game with a 6-wicket margin, but Sam Konstas was accredited as the Player of the Match. To go by the scenes at the Manuka Oval, both Rohit Sharma and Gill are fit and ready to join the Indian playing XI at Adelaide Oval. Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel are likely to join the bench, with Sharma occupying the No.5 slot in the Indian batting lineup.