High-flying hosts, India, take on the under-pressure reigning champions, England, in the 29th game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Here are three key battles that could decide its outcome.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has served as a tournament of extremes, and two teams whose respective campaigns could not have gone any differently take on each other next. When India take to the field in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29, they will be aiming to take another significant step toward the knockout stage. England, meanwhile, will be battling to keep their hopes alive. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Full Coverage)
India have played five games in the ongoing Cricket World Cup at the time of writing; they have won all five, beating Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. England, contrarily, have beaten just Bangladesh from their set of fixtures, losing the rest against New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka, respectively.
The reigning champions on the cusp of elimination, they take on the high-flying tournament favourites in a crucial encounter. Here are three key battles that could define the outcome of the same.
Here are three key battles to watch out for in match 29 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - India vs England:
Virat Kohli vs Chris Woakes
Virat Kohli’s sharp uptick in performances has coincided with India running rampant at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The home favourite has scored 354 runs in five innings, failing to cross the 50-run mark just once. Kohli added the first tournament ton to his name against Bangladesh and fell five runs short of repeating the feat in the following game against New Zealand. On Sunday, October 29, the in-form batter will go up against what can only be classified as an underwhelming bowling lineup, with England struggling at both ends of the pitch. He is likely to face Chris Woakes, whose tournament has not gone according to plan so far. However, a good performance against Kohli and Co can provide Woakes a boost as England enter a do-or-die stage.
Rohit Sharma vs David Willey
The untimely injury to Reece Topley left a struggling English bowling attack without its leading wicket-taker. Replacing the pacer hasn’t been easy, but when England take on India on Sunday, David Willey will be aiming to fill the void left behind in his compatriot’s absence. Willey, who claimed both the Sri Lankan wickets in England’s loss to the South Asians, will face another formidable challenger in Rohit Sharma next, whose stellar display with the bat has served as the perfect platform for India to build upon in the tournament. Sharma has scored 311 in five innings, with an average of just over 60.
Dawid Malan vs Jasprit Bumrah
Inconsistency due to injuries has plagued Jasprit Bumrah for the better part of the last two years, but the fast bowler from Ahmedabad looks to be in fine form this World Cup. The 29-year-old, with 11 wickets to his name, is among the leading wicket-takers in the tournament and will be looking to add to his tally when matched against the struggling English batting line-up on Sunday. Bumrah is likely to face Dawid Malan in the opening exchanges; Malan’s 220 in five innings is the most by an English batter in the tournament, and he will be aiming to anchor his team’s innings once more.