World Cup 2019: Does India need to change anything for the game against England?
India continued their dominant run in the World Cup, recording a convincing win against West Indies by 125 runs. With this win, India have jumped to second place in the points table and they remain the only team to be unbeaten in the tournament.
Though the Caribbean players did not pose any serious challenge to India, there are a few areas that need to be addressed by Virat Kohli to increase the solidity of the team towards the business end of the tournament.
The middle muddle
India's middle order woes came back to haunt them at Manchester. The wicket of KL Rahul triggered a collapse, with Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav failing to make an impact. Kohli seemed to be the lone warrior in the middle overs, and had it not been some late striking from MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, India could have found themselves in hot water.
The injury to Shikhar Dhawan has turned out to be a big blow for India, not only due to the personal capacity, but also for the team balance. Not only has it left the team devoid of a left-handed batsman, it has also forced Rahul, who is a reliable middle order batsman, to open the innings with Rohit Sharma.
All-rounder Vijay Shankar has been passed on the baton to discharge the role of an anchor at No. 4. But that seems to be another problem in its own right.
The curious case of Vijay Shankar
Vijay Shankar was picked by the selectors ahead of the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu, and was backed to play at his incumbent position. He was acclaimed as a 'three-dimensional' player, on account of his multi-faceted abilities.
In the present scenario however, his contribution has been found wanting in all the three departments. While he has not been able to impress with the bat, he has been called to bowl only once, which was a forced decision on account to the injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the middle of the clash against Pakistan.
Shankar has also not been the best of fielders, drawing flak from Hardik Pandya on his failure to convert a chance off the latter's bowling against Afghanistan.
Spin to win is the formula at Edgbaston
Edgbaston has traditionally been a spinning track, as evident from the games that have been hosted at the venue in the past. The World Cup matches played here also bear testimony to the same. In fact, the match between New Zealand and Pakistan saw Kane Williamson turn a bowler, and he was also successful in picking up the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez.
The English batsmen were particularly susceptible against the Indian spinners when the two sides squared off on the British turf an year back. Spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 11 out of the 19 wickets that England lost in that 3-match series.
With India having the two in their ranks, along with the mysterious Kedar Jadhav, the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja could make this four-pronged Indian spin attack formidable.
Juggernaut Jadeja and his accuracy
If accuracy is an art, then Ravindra Jadeja is Picasso. The claim to a place in the team over Vijay Shankar remains unproven, but Jadeja is certainly a multi-faceted player too. He is widely acclaimed for his bowling, having the ability to identify the right areas and pitch the ball continuously on them. Further, he can finish his overs in a quick span of time, which mounts pressure on the opposition.
Along with spinning the cherry, Jadeja is also capable of giving it a few whacks with the willow, and has proven himself to be a dependable finisher in the recent past.
The most important asset that he brings in for the side is his athleticism on the field, with his ability of producing run-outs out of nowhere.
Jadeja and his accuracy can prove handy in Birmingham, which is an ideal venue for spinners. His addition also gives a boost to the batting, with the 30-year-old being a brisk southpaw.
It also allows Dhoni to come to come in at No. 4 and take some time to settle, and set a platform with either of the top order batsmen for the finishers (including himself) to capitalize on in the death overs.
Also see – India vs England head to head stats
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