The India cricket team continues to make waves in the 2023 World Cup, maintaining an undefeated status with a 100-run triumph over reigning champions, England. Sunday’s defeat marked England’s fifth loss in their six group matches, casting a cloud over their future in the tournament.
The Indian team’s success was largely due to Rohit Sharma’s impressive 87-run play, a much-needed boost to India’s total of 229-9 on the challenging Ekana Stadium pitch in Lucknow, India. India’s shaky start, with a score of 40-3 in the 12th over, was salvaged by a crucial 91-run partnership between Rohit and KL Rahul, who scored 39.
A significant 49-run contribution from Suryakumar Yadav, along with valuable runs from India’s lower order, propelled their score past the 225 benchmark. England’s batting performance was less than stellar, with a dismal 52-5 within the initial 16 overs. Their total score reached only 129 within 35 overs, due in part to Mohammed Shami’s excellent 4-22 bowling performance for India.
England’s top scorer was Liam Livingstone with a meagre 27 runs, a testament to the team’s subpar performance. “We demonstrated a lot of grit in this match,” said Rohit, reflecting on India’s sixth consecutive victory in the tournament. “The more seasoned players really stepped up and brought home the win.”
The pressure was on for England before the match even began, with the team at the bottom of the rankings and a slim chance of reaching the semi-finals. Their opponents, on the other hand, were the undefeated hosts, who were proving to be a formidable force on home soil.
Despite early successes for England, including David Willey’s (3-45) dismissal of Virat Kohli for a duck, the tide soon turned in India’s favour. A tactical partnership between Rohit and Rahul pulled India out of their early slump. Despite losing Rahul and Rohit to Willey and Adil Rashid respectively, Suryakumar’s smart batting helped India breach the 200-run mark.
England’s batting was equally troubled, with Jasprit Bumrah (3-32) dismissing Dawid Malan and Joe Root with back-to-back balls in the fifth over. Ben Stokes also failed to score and was bowled out by Shami, pushing England further into a corner.
The dismissal of England captain, Jos Buttler, expertly deceived by a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav (2-24), epitomised England’s struggle in the match. A visibly disappointed Buttler reflected, “We fancied our chances at the halfway stage chasing 230. But it’s the same old story.”
