IND vs ENG World Cup Preview: Can down and out England show the world they are still a great ODI team?

When the schedule of the World Cup came out, the India vs England clash was one of the marquee games of the tournament. Many billed India and England as the top two sides in the competition. This clash was seen as a dress rehearsal for the semi-final or even the final. But clearly, it has not worked out that way as England have been far from their best and are almost certain to be out before the semi-finals.

I have never seen England play as poorly as they did, in many years, in the last two games vs South Africa and Sri Lanka. Confused selection, confused approach has cost them a lot. Only the players and the management can understand how things changed so drastically for them in this tournament. It is not easy to reach an answer to how this happened to them.

In Lucknow, this England side have a chance to show the world that they were the side which all the players from the rest of the globe were looking at and played a brand of cricket that everyone wanted to follow and adopt. In the last 7 years, England have been the leaders in ODIs. They have been the pioneers of modern-day ODI cricket. To fall as hard as this is hard to explain. But now they have a chance to show how good they still are and can be.

I hear a lot about playing for pride. To me, when you play for your country, it is given that you are always playing for pride. I feel England should go out and express themselves and show India they are still good players even though their campaign is all but over.

There is a massive contrast between the way the performance levels of the two sides have turned out to be. Look at the performances of the two captains. Rohit Sharma led from the front. His confidence is reflected in his batting and leadership. That’s always healthy for a dressing room. Jos Buttler is in complete contrast. He has not looked anyway near to his best form. It is not easy for a captain to lead your side when struggling for runs yourself. I think that has had a major influence on England’s campaign.

England have many senior players who have been out of touch, out of confidence, out of form. In contrast, Indian players have been in great touch. Starting with Rohit to Virat Kohli to Shubman Gill, who is quickly finding his foot in the tournament. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and other key players performed outstandingly well. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were excellent with the ball. All the decision making has worked out very well. India look fresh and in good form. Their run up to the World Cup, including the Asia Cup win, did wonders for their confidence. The way they managed their side was excellent.

Coming to the combinations as far as India are concerned, R Ashwin may return vs England keeping in mind the surface in Lucknow. For me that will be a logical change but also a reluctant one as I am a massive fan of Mohammed Shami. I would be pushing for him to play as much as possible. He did not play the first few matches and then comes and picks a five-for in his first game. Shami can be dangerous with the ball for England’s vulnerable top-order. But it looks like Shami may have to make way for Ashwin, looking at the conditions.

Hardik Pandya’s absence is not ideal but with all the strength and depth that this Indian side has, they should be good even without him. They have form players looking to come in and start performing.

The one caution for India would be to not take the foot off the gas against the out-of-form England side. India know they are certain to qualify for the semi-finals. On the other side is England who are almost certain to go out. Sometimes, the in-form team takes it easy in these matches. I am sure India will not fall into this trap.

The other thing India can improve upon, maybe in the next World Cup cycle, is some of their top-order players contributing with the ball. Ideally, that is a good thing in ODI cricket. It provides a good balance to the side. With Hardik out, India are left with just five bowling options on paper. Virat Kohli can bowl a little and if others could also chip in with couple of overs, they can collectively play the role of a sixth bowler. That is something India can still work on.

I see India as favourites to win the contest vs England. But I will be interested to see what England have got. Currently, Buttler’s men appear clueless about their cricket, the selection and approach. But on a good day, they can show the world they are one of the best sides in the competition. I think India know that they can still not take this England side lightly and would be respectful to the defending champions who have underperformed massively so far in the tournament.