<p>Still looking to get their playing combination in order, an under-fire India will be looking for resurrection against first-timers Afg-hanistan in their final warm-up game before the World Cup here on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>India’s preparations for the 50-over showpiece event suffered a jolt on Sunday as Australia thrashed the defending champions by 106 runs at the Adelaide Oval.<br /><br />If the bowling continued to falter by conceding 371 runs against the hosts, the batsmen did no better as they wobbled to 265 in 45.1 overs.<br /><br />The Indian bowling has come under intense criticism after its below-par showing in the 0-2 defeat in the four-match Test series and its failure to win a single ODI in the tri-series.<br /><br />Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s own form is also a cause for concern for the Men in Blue after he scored a duck in the first practice match.<br /><br />A spate of injuries to Ishant Sharma, who failed a fitness Test and has been replaced by Mohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rohit Sharma and the top-order’s patchy batting form has made things difficult for India.<br /><br />Putting up a brave face after the loss against Australia, Dhoni still tried to take out some positives from the game but the team’s on-field performances surely is a cause for concern for the 2011 champions.<br /><br />Afghanistan, on the other hand, are a side hungry to make an impact in their maiden 50-over World Cup outing.<br /><br />Led by the experienced Mohammad Nabi, the side boasts of some impactful players like left-arm pacer Shapoor Zadran, young pacer Aftab Alam and former skipper and solid middle-order batsman Nawroz Mangal to name a few.<br /><br />The team that only got full one-day status in 2011 is dreaming big and Nabi claims that the side will be no pushovers in the 11th edition of the Cup.<br /><br />“We have been working hard for the past 4-5 months and our aim is to get to the next stage. We are all excited as a unit and hopefully we can live up to the expectations of our fans back home,” said Nabi on the sidelines of the team’s net session.<br /><br />While Afghanistan start their campaign against Bangladesh on February 18 against Bangladesh, India begin their defence against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. <br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Still looking to get their playing combination in order, an under-fire India will be looking for resurrection against first-timers Afg-hanistan in their final warm-up game before the World Cup here on Tuesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>India’s preparations for the 50-over showpiece event suffered a jolt on Sunday as Australia thrashed the defending champions by 106 runs at the Adelaide Oval.<br /><br />If the bowling continued to falter by conceding 371 runs against the hosts, the batsmen did no better as they wobbled to 265 in 45.1 overs.<br /><br />The Indian bowling has come under intense criticism after its below-par showing in the 0-2 defeat in the four-match Test series and its failure to win a single ODI in the tri-series.<br /><br />Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s own form is also a cause for concern for the Men in Blue after he scored a duck in the first practice match.<br /><br />A spate of injuries to Ishant Sharma, who failed a fitness Test and has been replaced by Mohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rohit Sharma and the top-order’s patchy batting form has made things difficult for India.<br /><br />Putting up a brave face after the loss against Australia, Dhoni still tried to take out some positives from the game but the team’s on-field performances surely is a cause for concern for the 2011 champions.<br /><br />Afghanistan, on the other hand, are a side hungry to make an impact in their maiden 50-over World Cup outing.<br /><br />Led by the experienced Mohammad Nabi, the side boasts of some impactful players like left-arm pacer Shapoor Zadran, young pacer Aftab Alam and former skipper and solid middle-order batsman Nawroz Mangal to name a few.<br /><br />The team that only got full one-day status in 2011 is dreaming big and Nabi claims that the side will be no pushovers in the 11th edition of the Cup.<br /><br />“We have been working hard for the past 4-5 months and our aim is to get to the next stage. We are all excited as a unit and hopefully we can live up to the expectations of our fans back home,” said Nabi on the sidelines of the team’s net session.<br /><br />While Afghanistan start their campaign against Bangladesh on February 18 against Bangladesh, India begin their defence against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. <br /><br /><br /></p>