Team India captain Rohit Sharma has been in blistering form for the hosts, although he has not converted all his starts into big scores.
Team India captain Rohit Sharma has been in blistering form for the hosts, although he has not converted all his starts into big scores. Rohit began the competition with a duck against Australia but followed it up with a brutal 131 against Afghanistan. He then smashed 86 in the high-profile clash against Pakistan. In the last two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand, he scored 48 and 46, respectively. It doesn’t seem like Rohit will change his template of going after the bowlers in the remaining games.
England fast bowler Mark Wood has had a forgettable World Cup so far. He has failed to claim too many wickets and has been taken apart with ease – his excess pace actually helping batters on friendly pitches in India. In the game against South Africa, he was smashed for 76 runs in seven overs without claiming a wicket. He couldn’t do much against Sri Lanka as well, with no pressure of a big total. If they come face to face, Rohit will look to take him on. Can Wood find a way to stop the rampant Indian captain?
England’s experienced opener, Jonny Bairstow, has been another major disappointment in the 2023 World Cup. The 34-year-old has registered scores of 33, 52, 2, 10 and 30 in England’s five matches so far. There have been multiple starts, but Bairstow has failed to convert any of them into big ones. Apart from his low scores, his assertiveness in the middle, which has made him a dangerous batter over the years in the ODI format, has also been missing. He needs to figure out a way to make an impact.
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami made a comeback to the playing XI in the team’s previous match against New Zealand. It was a forced change with all-rounder Hardik Pandya getting injured. But the forced alteration proved to be an unintentional masterstroke as the right-arm pacer registered figures of 5/54. This was Shami’s second five-wicket haul in his last three ODIs. He had picked up 5/51 against Australia in Mohali. Can he knock over Bairstow early?
Virat Kohli has had his struggles against England leg-spinner Adil Rashid over the years in international cricket. The latter has dismissed the star Indian batter multiple times across formats. On YouTube, you will find a few videos in which Rashid has bamboozled Kohli with brilliant deliveries. The Indian batter will be the first to admit that facing Rashid has been a challenge for him. However, Kohli has been in supreme form in the ongoing World Cup and should be a lot more confident against Rashid on Sunday.
The 34-year-old is India’s leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup so far, with 554 runs in five innings at an average of 118 and a strike rate of 90.54. He has one hundred, a 95 and an 85 to his credit, apart from an unbeaten half-century against Afghanistan as well. Due to England’s poor batting, Rashid hasn’t had many opportunities to build pressure on the opposition. He did claim a three-fer against Afghanistan but in a losing cause. The sight of Kohli has brought out the best in Rashid over the years. Can he summon the champion in him again?
England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes has made a disappointing return to the playing XI following his recovery from injury. He managed only 5 against South Africa, chipping a return catch to Kagiso Rabada. Stokes top-scored against Sri Lanka, but his 43 came off 73 balls. To be fair to the left-hander, he couldn’t have opened up with the other batters not contributing. But the champion player that he is, Stokes will be disappointed with the stroke that led to his dismissal.
Stokes’ battle against Indian lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah at the backend of the innings could be crucial. If there is one batter in the England team who can genuinely upset Bumrah’s rhythm, it has to be Stokes. The Indian pacer has excelled in the World Cup, claiming 11 scalps in five matches, averaging 16.27. He will look to add Stokes to the list.
Suryakumar Yadav replaced Hardik Pandya for the clash against New Zealand. He could not make an impact with the bat as he was run out after a mix-up with Virat Kohli. SKY had a terrific series against the Aussies ahead of the World Cup. He will be keen to have a say on Sunday.
David Willey was among the few positives for England in the disappointing loss to Sri Lanka. He got the big scalps of Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis to give the defending champions brief hope. Willey has been unlucky not to play more games for England, for he has a knack of picking up key scalps. Can he have Suryakumar’s number?
Other World Cup 2023 news:
Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Follow Us
