Predicted Lineups | Match Prediction | India vs England Match Preview

Predicted Lineups | Match Prediction | India vs England Match Preview:

Contents

HEAD TO HEAD: WEATHER AND PITCH REPORT:PLAYING XI (PROBABLE): PREDICTIONS: WHERE TO WATCH:

All eyes are on the Adelaide Oval where the other two semi-finalists, India and England, will encounter each other but only one will stay in the race to join Pakistan at the G on Sunday for the high-voltage final. While many fans, ex-cricketers and analysts want India to get the better of the English team so that they can witness the magical madness of Pakistan-India rivalry one last time in this tournament at the grand Melbourne Cricket Ground, there are other fans rooting for Buttler’s unflappable men to get on the train to Melbourne.

Injuries throughout the tournament have been dogging teams wherever they went. Many players who were expected to play crucial roles for their teams were forced out of the mega event owing to injuries. The English team had to drop their leading wicket-taker of the year, Reece Topley, at the start of the World cup after an injury ruptured three of his ligaments.

While Topley’s departure from the World cup gave England a huge blow, it was nothing compared to the conundrum they are trying to resolve after clouds of uncertainty hang over their ace pacer of the tournament, Mark Wood’s availability for the semi-final. The headache for the English management and Skipper does not end here as they are dealing with the injury of their key batter Dawid Malan as well. If both of these players don’t pass the fitness tests on the day of the encounter, they too will have to be replaced by other players. This will be, no doubt, a risky change in lineups but Jos Buttler’s team does not have many options.

The Indian team found the lost form of their Paladin, Virat Kohli, in their opening match of the tournament against Pakistan. Since then, Kohli has been unstoppable and has guided his side home several times. Apart from Kohli’s heroics, the bowling line of India too has done a commendable job in the absence of their premier bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. The only thing the Indian team will need to look after, if they wish to vanquish the injury-laden English team, is their openers. The Indian openers have not yet come to the party but they can utilize this chance and Adelaide’s soil to wreak havoc against the Brits.

HEAD TO HEAD:

India has won 12 matches out of the 22 T20I matches they played against England. The English team has triumphed in 10 games over India.

WEATHER AND PITCH REPORT:

There is a 40% chance of precipitation in Adelaide on the match day. Although the rain is expected to occur during the morning and afternoon, it can cause major changes to the condition of pitch. Besides rain, clouds and thunderstorms are also expected.

Some sources have it that an older and used pitch at the Adelaide Oval will be used for the second semi-final. This can make run-scoring, even on the flat track of the Adelaide Oval, somewhat difficult.

Apart from this, the pitch has every ability to favor batters. It has a hard surface, a flat track, quick outfield and shorter square boundaries. All these things will allow the Adelaide Oval to witness a high scoring match.

Pacers and spinners, both come in handy on a ground like this. Just a few days ago, Pakistan’s spinners bowled economical spells on this ground and even scripted a few strikes next to their names.

Pacers will be introduced early as is a custom on pitches down under. However, spinners can come in to play their pivotal role during the middle stages.

PLAYING XI (PROBABLE):

England: Jos Buttler (c&wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan/Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.

PREDICTIONS:

The pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli will become more murderous on Adelaide’s soil and conditions. Both of the Indian batsmen have produced decent performances throughout the tournament. This paired with possible absence of the top pacer of the English, Mark Wood, can knock the final nail in the coffin of Buttler’s team.

The English, although, will be in good spirits owing to their recent wins against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, their batting lineup is not as reliable as their opposition’s. The middle order especially will need to step up, failing to do so can easily knock them out of the tournament.

The stable batting order of the men in blue makes them favorites for the semi-final tomorrow.