A red-hot Team India will face beleaguered England at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow on October 29th (Sunday) as the former will hope to clinch a place in the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup. With the surface in Lucknow set to assist spinners, the home side could play three spinners and spin England further into a web.
Rohit Sharma and co. are also the only unbeaten side in the tournament, having beaten Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The top three are in supreme form, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma amassing well over 300 runs. The bowlers are also in fantastic touch as they have hunted in packs to leave the opposition dazed. Most importantly, the home side's fielding has been sharp at every stage of each game, making it more difficult for the oppositions to get away.
As for England, they have struggled to maintain the balance between playing sensibly and in a sedate manner. Captain Jos Buttler has experienced the loss of form at a crucial juncture, leaving his 43 against New Zealand as the highest in 5 innings. The bowlers have lacked penetration and the management is yet to identify the perfect combination.
While an England win might not mean anything significant for them in their pursuit to reach the semi-finals, it could leave the tournament wide open. England also lead the head-to-head record against India in World Cups, winning 4 out of 7 completed matches.
Details of the venue:
While England are yet to play an ODI at the Ekana Stadium, India have played only one and lost - against South Africa in October 2022. The venue hasn't produced high-scoring games and is known to assist more spin as the game goes on.
Squads:
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Where to watch the IND vs ENG 2023 World Cup clash?
The live streaming will be available on Disney Hotstar, while the match will be telecast on Star Sports.
