Sran impresses as India open Aus tour with easy warm-up win

Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan slam breezy half-centuries

Rookie left-arm pacer Barinder Sran impresses with figures of 2-24 from four overs

India started their limited-overs tour of Australia on a positive note, comprehensively beating a second-string Western Australia XI by 74 runs in a Twenty20 warm-up game on Friday, with Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan striking fluent half-centuries.

Batting first, India scored a healthy 192 for four in 20 overs, Dhawan and Kohli contributing 74 runs each.

The duo added 149 runs for the second wicket after Rohit Sharma (6) missed out on a run-feast, on a bouncy WACA wicket.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who promoted himself to No. 4, also hit a quickfire 22 off 14 balls.

In reply, Western Australia XI could only score only 118 for 6.

Rookie left-arm speedster Barinder Sran bowled impressively to return figures of 2 for 24 from four overs.

More importantly, Sran hit the right length, hurried the batsmen with short balls and also showed his skills of being able to swing the white kookaburra at a lively pace.

He got opener Darcy Short (5) with a delivery that kicked up as the batsmen was hurried into playing a shot and an easy catch was taken at mid-wicket.

Sran also got rival skipper Will Bosisto (1) with a delivery that was just short of three-quarter, but Bosisto, trying to hit over long-on, provided an easy skier for Ravichandran Ashwin.

Western Australia were never in the match save former Australia opener Travis Birt, who scored an unbeaten 74 off 60 balls.

Among other bowlers, left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja had identical figures of 2-13 from three overs.

Dhoni used six bowlers, resting Ishant Sharma for Saturday's warm-up one-day match.

Earlier, Test captain Kohli came back from a well-deserved break and warmed up nicely with a 44-ball 74 that had seven boundaries and three sixes.

Dhawan, whose form has been patchy of late, also looked in good touch as he played 46 balls, hitting eight boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

The Delhi duo was helped by the fact that the ball came onto the bat nicely and they were able to play their strokes in free-flowing manner.

Dhawan hooked fast bowler Matthew Kelly for a couple of sixes and also punished leg-spinner James Muirhead with a slog-swept six over deep mid-wicket.

Kohli, on his part, looked more solid as he hit medium pacer David Moody for two sixes including one that was pulled in front of square. He also flicked Kelly for his third six.

Dhoni provided the finishing touches to the tourists' easy victory, but Ajinkya Rahane perished early, caught off Ryan Duffield for two in the final over in his quest to score some quick runs.

Scorecard

Indians

R Sharma run out (O'Connor) 6

S Dhawan c Short b Kelly 74

V Kohli c Inglis b Nicholas 74

M Dhoni not out 22

A Rahane c Inglis b Duffield   2

Gurkeerat Singh not out 0

Extras: (b 1, lb 4, w 9) 14

Total: (for 4 wickets) 192

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-161, 3-173, 4-185

Bowling: R Duffield 4-0-21-1(1w), J Nicholas 4-0-44-1, M Kelly 4-0-31-1(1w), D Moody 3-0-40-0(2w), L O'Connor 3-0-34-0(1w), J Muirhead 2-0-17-0.

Western Australia

T Birt not out 74

D Short c Ashwin b Sran 5

W Bosisto c Ashwin b Sran 1

J Inglis c Sran b Jadeja 11

N Hobson c Dhoni b Jadeja 5

J Morgan c Rahane b Patel 3

M Kelly st Dhoni b Patel 2

J Nicholas not out 4

Extras: (b 0, lb 3, w 10, nb 0) 13

Total: (for 6 wickets) 118

Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-26, 3-61, 4-73, 5-83, 6-92

Bowling: B Sran 4-0-24-2 (6wd), Umesh Yadav 3-0-23-0, Rishi Dhawan 3-0-22-0, R Jadeja 3-0-13-2, R Ashwin 4-0-20-0, Axar Patel 3-013-2.