India crushed England by 100 runs to maintain an unbeaten run in World Cup

India’s batting

India won the toss and opted to bat first in the sixth match of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 in Lucknow on Sunday. They got off to a good start with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill putting on 54 runs for the first wicket. However, England’s pace bowler David Willey struck twice in the 15th over, removing Gill for 22 and India’s captain Virat Kohli for a golden duck.

India’s middle order also struggled against England’s bowling attack, as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul fell cheaply, leaving India at 90 for 4 in the 23rd over. Rohit Sharma was the only batsman who looked comfortable at the crease, playing a classy knock of 87 off 101 balls, hitting 10 fours and three sixes. He found an able partner in Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a brisk 49 off 47 balls, with four fours and a six. The duo added 97 runs for the fifth wicket, taking India past 200.

Willey returned to break the partnership, dismissing Suryakumar in the 43rd over. Rohit followed soon after, falling to Adil Rashid in the next over. India’s lower order could not add much to the total, as Willey, Rashid and Mark Wood picked up wickets at regular intervals. Willey finished with figures of 3 for 45, while Rashid and Wood took two wickets each. India ended up with a modest but competitive score of 229 for 9.

England’s bowling

England’s decision to field first backfired spectacularly, as they failed to contain India’s batsmen. Willey was the only bowler who made an impact in the first half of the innings, taking three crucial wickets. Rashid and Wood also bowled well in the death overs, but they could not prevent India from crossing 200. The rest of the bowlers were expensive and ineffective, as they conceded too many boundaries and extras.

England’s captain Jos Buttler admitted that they did not bowl well and gave away too many runs. He said that they needed to improve their bowling performance in the remaining matches.

England’s batting

England’s chase never got going, as they lost wickets at regular intervals to India’s pace and spin attack. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were outstanding with the new ball, reducing England to 33 for 3 in the ninth over. Bumrah dismissed Dawid Malan and Joe Root in consecutive balls, while Shami bowled Ben Stokes with a beauty.

Buttler and Moeen Ali tried to rebuild the innings, but they were undone by Kuldeep Yadav’s spin. Buttler was bowled by a stunning delivery that turned sharply from outside off to hit the stumps, while Moeen was caught behind off Shami. Liam Livingstone offered some resistance with a gritty 27 off 46 balls, but he too fell to Kuldeep, trapped lbw by a googly.

England’s tail had no answer to India’s bowling, as Shami, Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja wrapped up the innings in quick time. Shami was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 22 runs, while Bumrah took three for 32. Kuldeep and Jadeja chipped in with two and one wicket respectively.

England were bowled out for a paltry 129 in 34.5 overs, losing by a massive margin of 100 runs.

India’s bowling

India’s bowling was superb, as they defended their total with ease. Bumrah and Shami set the tone with their fiery spells, taking six wickets between them. Kuldeep also impressed with his variations, taking two key wickets. Jadeja was economical and picked up a wicket as well.

India’s captain Kohli praised his bowlers for their exceptional performance. He said that they executed their plans perfectly and showed great skill and discipline.

Player of the match

Rohit Sharma was adjudged the player of the match for his superb innings that set up India’s win. He said that he was happy with his form and praised his bowlers for their exceptional performance.

Points table

India have now secured their place in the semi-finals of the tournament, while England are all but out of contention. They have lost five of their six matches so far and are at the bottom of the table. They will need to win their remaining three matches against Australia, Pakistan and Netherlands and hope for other results to go their way to have any chance of qualifying for the next round.

India will face Bangladesh in their next match on November 2 in Kolkata, while England will take on Australia on November 4 in Mumbai.

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