Champions Trophy 2017: India vs New Zealand Warm-Up, 5 talking points

#3 India ponder combinations with the ball

It will be interesting to see how India use Hardik Pandya in the Champions Trophy

While India opted for Hardik Pandya with the new ball today, that strategy is definitely not set in stone. With Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar all available to assist Mohammed Shami, Pandya may not be the first choice to open the attack but exploring their options before the tournament wasn't a bad idea.

If India do opt to play Pandya in their line-up, one of Bumrah or Umesh Yadav may miss out given that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami are automatic choices in the eleven. Ashwin and Jadeja are both likely to play even though Yuvraj and Jadhav offer back-up spin options.

The risk with this ploy is Pandya's inconsistency with the ball and missing the X-factor that Bumrah and Umesh both provide. It remains to be seen how India's eleven shapes up in the tournament.