T20 World Cup: Wanted to give Shami a challenge: Rohit on holding him back till final over

Rohit Sharma said the plan was to throw a "challenge" at the man returning from a long layoff. Taking the challenge head on, Shami put the concerns over his fitness to rest with a sensational 20th over as India pulled off a six-run win in their first warm-up fixture of the T20 World Cup here on Monday. Drafted into the squad as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah, Shami landed yorker after yorker and ended up with three wickets in the over.

Read AlsoT20 World Cup warm-up: Mohammed Shami's fiery over earns India comeback win against Australia

Mohammed Shami snared three wickets and had a hand in a run-out in a last-over cameo that helped India to a six-run win over defending champions Australia in a practice match ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup on Monday.

"Honestly, he is coming back after a long time. So we just wanted to give him an over. This was always the plan from the beginning," Rohit said on Star Sports. "He comes and bowls at the death. We know how lethal he can be with the new ball. We just wanted to give him a little bit of a challenge, coming and bowling that death over and we saw what it was," the India captain said of the man who last played a competitive game in July and landed here after suffering a long bout of Covid-19. Needing 11 to win off six balls, the Australians were on course but Shami, returning from a long injury layoff, had other ideas as the home team lost four wickets in the last over, including a run out.

Read AlsoWatch: Shami shares tricks of trade with Afridi, Gavaskar advises Babar

Camaraderie between the likes of Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Shah Afridi on Monday added another dimension to the hype, the feeling of one-upmanship among fans that precedes an India-Pakistan World Cup