Hosts India will look to continue with their dominance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. They take on England in the 29th game as they look to book a berth in the semifinal with a win. India would be booming with confidence after winning against New Zealand, and the key players are in good form. England lost to Sri Lanka in the last game, and the road to the semifinal looks difficult. They must win this game by a significant margin to keep their hopes alive.
England hasn’t lived up to its reputation as the best white-ball team. They have won only once in five games and sit at No. 9 on the points table. They have a poor record against India on Indian soil and must pull out their best game to win here. The Indians have been on a roll, winning all five games, and shall look to book a berth in the next round. It will be interesting to see if the defending champions, England, can stop the Indian juggernaut.
THE VENUE FOR INDIA-ENGLAND GAME:
The pitch will be challenging to bat on, where batters must adjust to the surface’s slowness. The first side batting would target 300 to feel comfortable on this surface.
TEAM PREVIEW
INDIA
Rohit Sharma’s side has just played the way everyone expected it to at the start of the tournament. They faced a tough challenge for the first time in the last game against New Zealand but rode home to a 4-wicket win. The top order looks in good shape, and the bowlers have done well. A win here will nearly guarantee them a berth in the next round, and that’s what the side will aim for.
Rohit Sharma has been in phenomenal form and will look to deliver a confident start in this game with Shubman Gill. Virat Kohli has looked rock solid in the middle order and will look to build partnerships with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja add firepower to this batting line-up, along with Mohammad Shami, and they will look to take on the England bowlers in the death overs.
The bowling attack has fared well in the tournament, and the side will expect early wickets from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj, as the England top order has struggled in most games. Mohammad Shami will be confident after his 5-wicket haul in the last game. Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja complement each other, making this attack strong.
EXPECTED PLAYING XI OF INDIA v ENGLAND
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
ENGLAND
It was another embarrassing loss for Jos Buttler’s side in the last game against Sri Lanka. They were bowled out for 156 runs and lost the game by eight wickets. The defending champions have suffered embarrassing losses in this tournament. They must depend on their luck to reach the semis, and Buttler would like a good show from his players to restore their pride and confidence.
Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow are getting starts, and the side will need a big opening wicket stand from the pair in this game. The middle order has failed the side on more than one occasion, and they will need runs from Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes. For the side to win, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Chris Woakes must deliver the goods in the lower middle order.
The bowling attack is looking rusty in the tournament. The Indian top-order is in good form, and the team will need a good show from Chris Woakes and David Willey with the new ball. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali must bring their experience to play in the middle overs. Livingstone and Mark Wood have an important job in the supporting role.
EXPECTED PLAYING XI OF ENGLAND v INDIA
Jos Buttler (c & wk), Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
PREDICTION FOR THE GAME
Based on the current form, the Indians have a clear edge in this game.