Team India's warm-up tie report card

MiD DAY's analysis of India in their first 2011 World Cup warm-up tie...

MiD DAY's analysis of India in their first 2011u00a0World Cupu00a0warm-up tie...

A group of Indian players celebrate after claiming Australia's last wicket in the World Cup warm-up match at Bangalore yesterday. India won by 38 runs. PIC/AFP

Virender Sehwag
He said the other day that he had learnt to respect the new ball. He certainly showed no respect to bowlers while chasing good deliveries from Brett Lee and top-edging a few at the start of his 54-run knock. Shockingly, during the second power play, when Sehwag was around, India managed only 12 runs.

Gautam Gambhir
Survived some sharp stuff from Lee and Bollinger, and stroked a glorious boundary through covers before edging one to White at second slip. Gambhir, who looked out of place during his 15-ball six, hasn't played a one-dayer since November.

Virat Kohli
Looked the most assured of the lot against the swinging ball. He played a few gorgeous strokes through the off-side before mistiming an attempted cover drive to David Hussey at point. After his 21, he took a crucial catch at first slip to dismiss Callum Ferguson.

Yuvraj Singh
He inevitably stayed back at the crease before getting into an awful tangle off a Brett Lee bouncer. First, he tried to duck, later tried to play an upper cut, but his reluctant body language led to his dismissal. There was a bit of redemption later as Yuvraj removed Aussie opener Tim Paine with his left-arm spin.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni
His spread out fields to Australia's tail-enders was a questionable. Similarly, some highly unorthodox fields to Ponting were not easy to comprehend.

However, credit goes to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for bowling leg-spinner and to-be World Cup debutant Piyush Chawla with highly attacking fields ufffd the game-clincher.

Suresh Raina
Usually the sort of individual who contributes to a victory in some way or the other, Raina scored only 12 runs, did not do any bowling and did not claim a catch. The fact that Dhoni didn't throw the ball to him almost establishes that Raina is a little low on confidence.

Yusuf Pathan
He rarely waits for 34 balls before launching his first six. That's what happened with the Baroda all-rounder yesterday. He scored just 18 runs off 34 balls, before hitting David Hussey for two massive sixes and perishing in the same over. Pathan scored 32 off 38 balls. He did not bowl.

Piyush Chawla
Conceded five wides in his first ball, and suddenly there was a cry: 'Why is he even here?' As the overs progressed, he was an eminent threat, turning the ball sharply. Four overs later, he triggered the Aussie collapse by removing Clarke, White, and David Hussey in quick succession. Chawla troubled Ponting consistently, as Dhoni held back his ace spinner, Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan Singh
His first two overs, primarily sharp turning off-breaks, to nemesis Ponting, were safely negotiated. Harbhajan returned to the attack in the 32nd over from an around-the-wicket line and immediately nailed Ponting, for the umpteenth time in his career. Eventually, he got three wickets in seven balls, finished with figures of 3-15, spinning India to a web of confidence!

Ravichandran Ashwin
It was his unbeaten 25 that helped India progress from a treacherous 136-7 to a respectable 214. He followed it up with just one wicket, but kept the Aussies on a tight leash. He rarely bowled the variations he is known for since the ball was turning prodigiously, helping batsmen work him away through the on-side. Ashwin bowled a wicket-to-wicket line apart from almost pulling off a blinder at mid-on.

Ashish Nehra
The saving grace for the Delhi bowler came when he struck Johnson for two back-to-back boundaries during his handy knock of 19. Otherwise, it was forgettable day for him.

S Sreesanth
Looked like the only Indian seamer who could get a wicket. Almost had Ponting caught-behind in the tenth over soon after removing the dangerous Shane Watson. Bowled a really good spell, but was taken off immediately after saying a few words to Ponting.

Munaf Patel
He enjoyed success in SA because of the unexpectedly slow surfaces. However, his
humdrum wicket-to-wicket line could prove costly against innovative batsmen on flat tracks. He tried to remove the pace off the ball, but Watson smashed him.