India was declared winner on Duckworth-Lewis method after reaching 129 for three in 26 overs in pursuit of 190 against New Zealand in the opening warm-up match when rain stopped play here on Sunday.
Skipper Virat Kohli looked in good form making an unbeaten 52 in the company of former skipper M.S. Dhoni (17 not out).
Opener Shikhar Dhawan (40, 59 balls) also got some much needed batting practice while Ajinkya Rahane (seven) and Dinesh Karthik (zero) couldn’t make much use of the opportunity.
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami got three wickets apiece to bundle out New Zealand for 189 in 38.4 overs.
Ravindra Jadeja got two wickets while R. Ashwin and Umesh Yadav also got their names in the wicket-takers list.
‘I have his number’
Meanwhile, Pakistan speedster Junaid Khan took a dig at Kohli, saying his team was not afraid of the swashbuckling batsman and knew how to tackle him.
Junaid said Kohli is a great batsman but has failed against his pace in the past.
“I have dismissed him in three out of the four matches we have faced each other. He is a brilliant batsman but he has failed against me,” Junaid told The Express Tribune . “I bowled Kohli in India in front of his fans. So it won’t be a problem in England.”
Both Junaid and Kohli have faced-off a few times in the past and the 28-year-old Indian has managed to score just two runs off 22 balls in one-dayers.
The Pakistan speedster feels he has the psychological advantage and will be looking to use it to his advantage.
“When I face him, I will consider him the same Kohli. I may be wrong but I think he will also think of me as the same Junaid who had taken his wicket before, which might make him go on the defensive a bit more and therefore lose his wicket.”
“He has been hitting sixes and fours all over the world but none of them have come against me, which is an honour for me and I will try to keep that record intact in the Champions Trophy.”
The left-arm pacer also revealed that he has working on his swing to further improve on Pakistan’s record, which reveals that it has defeated India in four out of the five matches in which Junaid has played.
“I have been working on my swing, which is my speciality and my biggest weapon, since many of my seniors have told me that my swing has weakened.
“However, Kohli is not the only good player in their side and my focus will be on all of their batsmen.
“I have been watching their videos and have prepared myself to face them too,” he added.
The scores: New Zealand 189 in 38.4 overs (L. Ronchi 66, J. Neesham 46 n.o., Shami three for 47, Bhuvneshwar three for 28) vs. India 129 for three in 26 overs (V. Kohli 52 n.o., S. Dhawan 40). India won by 45 runs (D/L method).
