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Image Credit source: PTI/AFP
After 181 days, KL Rahul will once again enter the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Maidan in Lucknow. He was injured during an Indian Premier League match at the same ground in May this year, which kept him out of action for 4 months and made him a doubt for the World Cup. Rahul is now fully fit and is leading Team India’s winning streak with his strong performance in the World Cup. Coming to this ground against England on Sunday October 29, they will try to give the team another victory. With a win in this match, Team India will almost secure their place in the semi-finals, while the world champion England’s journey will officially end.
Before the start of the World Cup, this match was considered to be the most difficult match for Team India. After all, England are the reigning world champions and they were not at all easy to deal with. After 3 weeks of the World Cup, this match is looking very easy for Team India. England have lost 4 out of 5 matches and won only 1. The team is at the top of the points table, while the team India is advancing towards the semi-finals by winning all their 5 matches.
Waiting for victory for 20 years
Despite this, Team India will not forget their professional style and will not take England lightly at all. Team India needs 2 points, while for England now every match is just a battle of honour. Incidentally, India have not beaten England in a World Cup since the 2003 World Cup. In the 2011 World Cup, the exciting match between the two ended in a tie. At the same time, in 2019, England defeated Team India in the only match in the league stage. In such a situation, Team India would also like to end this wait.
Team India in form, still some tension
Team India has been in form on almost every front throughout the tournament, but Hardik Pandya’s injury has certainly upset the balance of the playing XI. A glimpse of this was also seen in the match against New Zealand. This situation will continue in this match as well and hence every player in Team India will have to put in a strong performance without making any mistakes. Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have achieved the most success in batting for Team India. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are yet to make much of an impact and so this match will be important for them.
The question is whether veteran spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin will return to the playing eleven in this match? The Lucknow pitch is expected to be helpful for the spinners and in such a case Team India can go with 3 spinners. In such a situation, only one of Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami will get a chance. This will be the most important decision and Shami, who took 5 wickets in the previous match, is set to play.
Will the injured lion become a threat for England?
As far as England is concerned, Jos Buttler’s team is facing many problems. The entire team is struggling with form. The batsmen in particular have disappointed the most. Captain Buttler himself and explosive batsman Liam Livingston have failed miserably. Even opener Jonny Bairstow could not do anything special. In such a situation, it will not be easy for them to deal with the fast-bowling Indian bowling attack.
However, England could learn from New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, who started attacking one bowler (Kuldeep Yadav) after banning five bowlers from Team India. If England do the same, they may have a chance. Otherwise, the team will definitely be bound for defeat.
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