On Wednesday, October 25, Team India landed in Lucknow to face off against England in their highly anticipated 2023 World Cup match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
After a two-day break, the Indian cricket team departed from Dharamsala following their impressive four-wicket victory against New Zealand.
The players were warmly welcomed with traditional gestures, including the presentation of strings of pearls. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on Instagram capturing this special moment.
The Men in Blue opened their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Australia, the five-time World champions. They’ve also defeated Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Blackcaps in the league stage, giving them five straight victories.
Rohit Sharma and co. will now attempt to overcome England in the World Cup for the first time since 2003. England defeated India by 31 runs in their most recent match in 2019, whereas the 2011 match ended in a stalemate. As a result, the hosts will be eager to revenge their setback.
Meanwhile, England’s World Cup campaign got off to a shaky start, as they were defeated by New Zealand by nine wickets in the opener. The team coached by Jos Butter, on the other hand, came back with a 137-run victory over Bangladesh.
England’s Struggle in the World Cup
The English squad, on the other hand, lost successive games against Afghanistan and South Africa in their past two excursions. On October 26, they will face Sri Lanka at the MA Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The team will try to go back to winning ways before facing India.
In their most recent bilateral series, India emerged victorious over England by five wickets in the ultimate match, securing the series win.
The team is anticipating the return of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was unable to participate in the match against New Zealand due to an ankle injury. If he is fit, Pandya will most likely replace Suryakumar Yadav, who was unfortunately run out for two runs during his World Cup debut. Additionally, Mohammed Shami is expected to remain in the playing XI against England after his impressive performance and five-wicket haul against the Blackcaps.
In the showpiece ICC competition, Team India has yet to bat first. It would be interesting to watch how they do protecting targets in dew-friendly circumstances at home.
