England beat India: Here are the key takeaways
What's the story
Hosts England came up with an all-round performance to defeat two-time champions India in the match number 38 of the ICC World Cup 2019 at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday. The win kept the English campaign alive, while India need a win to seal their spot in the semis. In what was a high-scoring encounter, we present the key takeaways here.
Match report
How did the match pan out?
Winning the toss, England skipper Eoin Morgan elected to bat first on a flat batting track. The decision turned out to be a perfect one, as a century by Jonny Bairstow allowed England to post a challenging total of 337/7. In reply, Rohit Sharma played a sound knock of 102, but England's smart bowling helped them as they won by 31 runs.
Morgan
England read the conditions well
Toss was an important factor in today's match. However, Eoin Morgan read the conditions really well as he included Liam Plunkett in the XI. His bowling proved to be a decisive factor tonight, as he took the important wickets of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. He has several variations up his sleeve, which he utilized perfectly.
Shami's execution
Shami's execution in death a worry
Once again it was pacer Mohammed Shami who was India's shining star. While he did claim 5/69, there was a notable flaw in his execution at the death. He mostly bowled length deliveries, with poor execution, and got smacked all over the park. This is where the maturity of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah comes into picture.
Rahul's form
KL Rahul needs to find his form back
India suffered a setback when regular opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the tournament due to a thumb injury. Since then, KL Rahul has been opening for the side. However, he has been rusty. While he scored a half-century against Pakistan, his performance has taken a hit since then. With the tournament entering the crucial phase, Rahul needs to find his form back.
Dropping Rohit
Rohit cannot be handed a lifeline
Rohit shined, as he scored a hard-fought century. However, it wouldn't have been the case if he wasn't dropped in the second over by Joe Root. Further, he was also involved in a fine 138-run stand for the second wicket with Kohli. In the semis and the final, such mistakes can prove costly.
Pant
Rishabh Pant is promising, but has miles to go
Rishabh Pant, who came in for Shankar, played a short, but composed knock. A 29-ball 32-run innings, once again, gave a glimpse of the talent he possesses. Kohli might be tempted to pick him in the XI ahead of Vijay Shankar. However, he has miles to go before he can be considered a proper ODI player.
Bold England
With smart bowling and stunning fielding, England are a force
England did shine with their batting early on. However, with the track favoring batsmen, England played smart cricket, utilizing their home conditions in an elegant manner. Not just that they bowled in the right areas to the Indians, but it was neatly backed up by the fielders. Least to say, England can never be ruled out, certainly not in home conditions.