IND vs ENG Dream11 prediction: 3 differentials you can pick in today’s World Cup 2023 match – Oct 29, 2023
India and England face off in the 29th match of the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup on Sunday, October 29, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
What was pegged to be the match of the tournament bears a slightly different level of importance, with India dominating and England crumbling in the competition so far. England have lost four out of five matches, including defeats to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, severely hampering their chances of qualification.
India, meanwhile, have won all five matches, and a win today will see them almost secure qualification to the semifinals.
However, top sides can never be counted out, and despite their dismal form, England are the defending champions, and if they bring their best, India could be in for a real test in Lucknow. Given the sudden swathe of close matches recently, fans will hope for more of the same when these two top sides meet.
On that note, let's look at three Dream11 differentials to choose from.
#3 Jonny Bairstow (ENG)
Widely tipped to be one of the highest run-scorers of the World Cup prior to its start, Jonny Bairstow has had a disappointing campaign in that regard, with his failures mirroring those of England. Their only win came when he notched up a half-century against Bangladesh in a match where Dawid Malan scored a century.
He hasn't looked to be at his fluent best, and it'll do England a world of good if he finds his form against an opponent he really likes playing against. Bairstow loves a game against India and averages 41.80, scoring at a strike rate of 104.8 in ODI cricket.
His ownership is fairly low compared to the other batting and WK options from both teams, but he is a powerful player who can change the game all by himself and is a worthy differential pick.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin (IND)
Ravichandran Ashwin hasn't been in India's playing XI after the first match against Australia in Chennai, where he bowled a really tight spell of 1/34 in ten overs, picking up the wicket of Cameron Green. Since then, due to a combination of venue-based team selection and team balance issues, he has been out of the side but could return for this match.
This is the fourth match in Lucknow, and while the wicket has held up fairly well, it has shown signs of deterioration and plenty of support to the spinners. In Malan, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and David Willey/Sam Curran, there's no shortage of left-handed southpaws in the England batting order, which makes Ashwin a shrewd pick.
Going with the crafty Indian all-rounder could be a great idea as he's certainly capable of delivering a major haul.
#1 Moeen Ali (ENG)
Moeen Ali will be a crucial player for England both with bat and ball on the sluggish Lucknow surface. He is a quality spin-hitter and can clear the fence with ease once he's set. His experience of playing on surfaces similar to this for CSK should aid him in handling the Indian spinners.
His influence should be more telling with the ball on what should be a spinner-friendly surface, especially given his impressive record against some of the Indian batters, Virat Kohli in particular.
His ownership is understandably low due to a lack of returns so far, but he's definitely capable of providing them for this match.