Ind A v Eng 1st warm-up match review: Billings and Dawson take England home with 3 wickets in hand

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Sam Billings
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Sam Billings. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Playing a game where the focus is nowhere near you but entirely on the opposition captain who is captaining the national team for one last time. The India A v England was all about MS Dhoni for the broadcasters and the 20,000 odd spectators that turned out at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai as well. But the England team once again showed they are a much competitive limited-overs team and chased down the 305-run target with 3 wickets and 7 balls in hand.

Eoin Morgan won the toss and asked India A to bat first. There was grass on the wicket and the England pacers started well moving the ball around. Chris Woakes and David Willey were spot on to start with and Mandeep Singh and Shikhar Dhawan struggled early in the innings. The Punjab batsman couldn’t last past the first burst and was dismissed in the 8th over bowled through the gate by Willey on 8.

Dhawan gradually adjusted to the wicket and played some crunch shots off the back foot. He stayed back on most deliveries and scored a half century. He had a crucial partnership with No.3 Ambati Rayudu who went on to get a triple figure score. Rayudu also needed time to time the ball perfectly but once again showed what he was capable of. The duo added 121 runs together for the second wicket and laid a substantial platform for the big hitters.

Yuvraj Singh saw through the initial force of attack where he was tested with the short ball. Once the line changed and he got his eye in it was a visual treat for the viewers cheering every shot from the Indians. He hit some vintage Yuvraj shots and brought back pleasant memories of his best days. Rayudu retired after his hundred and the crowd finally got what they were there for. MS Dhoni walked out amidst thundering cheer from the crowd.

A little watchful for the first few overs but Dhoni played his natural game – attacked and didn’t miss any scoring opportunity. One of India’s most loved middle-order partners Dhoni-Yuvraj were back together and the English bowlers had a tough time. Yuvi having hit 6 boundaries and 2 sixes during his stay was caught off a short ball from Jake Ball in the deep by Adil Rashid in the 45th over.

Dhoni cut lose after that and played an entertaining knock. Sanju Samson walked in and back in a few minutes having bagged a golden duck. It was Hardik Pandya’s turn now, but with the skipper batting the way he was, the allrounder hardly got any strike. Towards the end, Dhoni unleashed improvised, bashing shots and 300 was in sight. In the last over he came hard at Woakes and scored 23 runs with two fours and two sixes. India A finished with 304/5 in 50 overs.

England were off to a fluent start in the chase with the Indian new ball bowlers Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya hardly testing them. With the day setting there was some dew and the ball with true bounce from the surface the was coming on to the bat quite nicely. Jason Roy and Alex Hales displayed just why England is such a dangerous limited-overs team now. They knew when to attack and how much, there was no over aggression and the intent was to get as many run as possible without compromising the wicket.

Having tried Mohit Sharma along with the other two pacers as well as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal D, the skipper finally turned to the chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and he got him the wicket. On 95 Kuldeep had Hales caught by Samson and in his next induced a false shot from Roy which was pocketed well by Mohit covering some ground. Morgan couldn’t stay longer than 6 balls and was Chahal’s first and only victim.

Then there was the dull phase for the Indians. While the surface had slowed down and looked like Dhoni’s favourite strategy of choking the opposition with his spinners could come into play Sam Billing and Jos Buttler got a lot of runs against Chahal, Kuldeep and Yuvraj Singh who bowled only 4 overs but spent 32 runs. Mohit and Nehra both were expensive in their second spells as well and England raced their way to the target.

Billings played the cheeky reverse swing with utmost success against the spinners and when the ball was in the zone brought out the conventional sweep as well. He was the biggest gainer from this game for England and not only got his own runs but kept the team on the course as well. The game was slipping away from India A and Dhoni was once again forced to turn to Kuldeep who got him a wicket and made it two. He had Buttler caught by Mohit and two balls later sent back Moeen Ali for a duck dismissed leg before wicket.

Just when Billings looked set for his hundred he shuffled across and a skiddy delivery from Hardik Pandya hit his pads and went onto his stumps on 93. In the very next over and his last the chinaman caught Liam Dawson off his own bowling for 41. Though he was a bit on the expensive side young Kuldeep picked a five-wicket haul as was the best Indian bowler on the day. With two quick wickets, there was a sense that the game could turn in favour of the Indian team but the equation of 15 required from 30 was going in the visitors favour.

Hardik bowled really well in his second spell but Mohit wasn’t convincing against the tail either. Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes hit a boundary and a couple of them respectively to take England home with 3 wickets in hand and with that MS Dhoni couldn’t win his last game as Indian skipper.

Watch: MS Dhoni comes in to bat for one final time as captain in Indian colours

Brief Scores:

India A: 304/5 (Ambati Rayudu 100*, MS Dhoni 68*; D Willey 2/55)

England: (Sam Billings 93, Jason Roy 62; Kuldeep Yadav 5/60)

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