Colombo: Riding high on the knocks of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, though India set a daunting target of 186 runs, Kamran Akmal played exceptionally well to take the match away from India as Pakistan won by five-wickets and five balls to spare in the T20 World Cup warm-up match at R Premdasa Stadium on Monday. Terming it to be a good game, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that India gave away too many runs with the new ball.
 
"We gave a few too many runs with the new ball. But apart from that it was a good game for all of us. It's a difficult choice whether to pick an extra bowler or play with an extra batsman. I have part-timers who can be used and we are a side that is comfortable playing seven batsmen. Overall it was a good test for the main tournament and it was a good game. We could test which combination would be the best for the tournament," said Dhoni.
 
Meanwhile Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez was ecstatic about the win. "The way the boys approached the chase was very positive. We knew if India could post that total, we knew we could get it if we worked hard. Kamran Akmal was exceptional. The experience of Malik was also the key. He supported Kamran really well. The bowlers tried hard, but things didn't work out for them today," said Hafeez.
 
Meanwhile Rohit Sharma, who has had good warm-up games so far, said the wicket was very good to bat on. “It was a typical Sri Lankan wicket and once you apply yourself, you will get runs here. I have certainly worked very hard on my batting, my fitness as well and yes it is showing. It is just a start and there is still a long way in the tournament and unfortunately things didn’t go our way. 186 was a good target on this wicket because I thought there was a bit of help for the spinners but it was one of those days when things didn’t come together. We have one more day before our actual game (against Afghanistan) in the 19th. We should come back,” said Sharma.

By Indian Sports News Network