World Cup 2019: 3 areas of concern for India after their first loss
Amidst a wave of expectations, the two cricketing giants, India and England faced each other at Birmingham for their World Cup 2019 encounter. The face-off was a spectacle as it had every element of a quality cricket match.
The England side batted first, and they tore through the Indian bowlers to set a mammoth total of 337/7. The Men in Blue chased it enthusiastically, but their run chase slacked off in the final few overs as they fell short and finished with 306/5.
This is the first defeat for team India in the 2019 World Cup. The Men in Blue, prior to this game dominated this World Cup with victories in five out of six matches. The only match which they didn’t win was a washed out encounter against New Zealand owing to incessant rain.
Then there is the English side which did not win two matches before their clash against India. England certainly posed a stiff challenge to the Indian side and on the back of a defeat, the Virat Kohli-led side will be looking to address some issues prior to the knockout stages.
#3 A surprise twist for the bowling department
England scoring a 300+ total isn’t unpredictable because of its strong lineup. A scenario of such predictably should have played to the advantage of the Indian bowlers. The sturdy bowling attack giving away plenty of runs, however, showed their unpreparedness.
Sri Lanka grabbed a win against England because of good bowling. In India’s case, the same should have happened. The conditions were different and India would’ve pulled off the same feat their neighbors if the venue was Headingley.
However, a bowling lineup of the world’s best team like India not containing the opponents in challenging conditions highlights the potential weak spots for their rivals to notice. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav going for too many runs forewarn of a similar possibility in the knockout stages.
As the upcoming matches are very important for the Men in Blue, they have to consider improvising their tactical game. They have some of the best bowlers in international cricket but they have a concern now to use them with extreme cleverness in situations like this.
Also read – World cup winners list