In their upcoming clash on June 30th, the tournament favourites India, one of the sides unbeaten alongside Australia so far, would take on a wobbly, scratchy home side England, ever so desperate for a win at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
The two-time World Cup champion India are probably just a win away from securing a World Cup semi-final berth for a 3rd successive time at the marquee event following an emphatic win against the hapless West Indies. The team India that struggled to get over the line against Afghanistan last Saturday would be relieved after their dominant performance against the Windies.
While batting still has been an issue for the 2011 World Cup champion, their bowling has been clinical, exuberant and authoritative throughout the competition so far. Their batting might be hot and cold, but their bowling has bailed team India from the precarious situation more often than not at the cricket’s greatest spectacle this year and their attack has given us an impression of being a champion unit, knit together beautifully to produce exemplary performances, at times even shielding the shortcomings of their batting department.
For England, all the hype surrounding their brutal batting line-up and their side being the most dominant team that entered the World Cup has been exposed following their trio of losses against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and most recently against arch-rival Australia. The home side which once appeared invincible and unbeatable at home in many of the bilateral series over the course of last four years, at the moment is struggling to even win a single cricket match against better teams.
If their loss against Sri Lanka last week was a wake-up call for the home side, their most recent debacle against Australia would have the left their side, their team management and English fans shattered and heart-broken. With eight points from their seven fixtures so far and an evident uphill task of facing India and New Zealand in their upcoming clashes, it’s virtually a do or die situation for the English and even a slightest of mistake from here on would mean that the home will stand right on the edge of elimination.
Against England, India would be looking forward to that one win that would surely see them through to the semi-finals while England on the other hand, would be desperately hoping to turnaround their fortunes at Edgbaston to stay alive in the competition.
Barring the ICC World T20 back in 2010 in the Caribbean Islands which the English won, the home team has a disgraceful record at the ICC events and has never won a World Cup title in 50 over-format. A team that has perhaps redefined the Way ODI cricket is played, has a hugely talented group of players and right personnel in their arsenal and at home this year, is England’s best ever chance to lay hands on their elusive World Cup trophy.
It is one thing to win bilateral series, but totally another to perform in a tournament as big as the World Cup and one can expect England would have learned their lessons so far. ‘Belief’, one word that has always deserted the English cricket when their backsides are against the wall and will once again resurface as they prepare to take on India next.
Can English still have the belief in their approach, planning, and execution and if yes, their resurgence must start against India to give them a fair chance of qualifying for the semi-finals or else it might be a little too late for the home team.
For Virat Kohli’s men, his side has been unbeaten so far but still has some crucial questions to be answered before they can transcend their game into knockout level matches. Barring the exception of Rohit Sharma and the skipper Kohli, team India’s batting has looked vulnerable and circumspect. They still have three games up their sleeve against England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, in that order before they can dive deep into the semi-finals.
In their remainder of matches, it is highly imperative that the likes of Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, and MS Dhoni get their act together so that the team management can feel safe about chasing a huge total on a day if and when their bowlers fail. So far in the competition, India have just chased once, against South Africa in their opening encounter.
As said earlier, their bowlers have been phenomenal at this World Cup so far, but the team can’t always rely on the bowlers to bail them out and it is just about time for the batting unit to step in and perform together as a team.
Edgbaston in Birmingham, the venue for the upcoming India-England clash has witnessed two relatively low scoring matches and on both the occasions, the team batting second has won. The track at Edgbaston has offered plenty for the seamers as we saw the other day when Pakistan stunned New Zealand and if the nature of the wicket more or less remains the same for the India Vs England clash, team India would definitely have an edge over their vulnerable opponents and it is a kind of wicket that would beautifully suit the in-form Indian seamers.
In the upcoming clash against India, with virtually everything on the line, there is no question that England would play like cornered tigers and their captain Eoin Morgan would hope that his batsmen show a little more application and temperament as they approach a must-win encounter.
The upcoming clash at Birmingham between India and England where one can expect a lot of support for team India would be fascinating to follow and one just can’t wait for the drama to unfold.
