The M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru will be packed to full capacity on Sunday, when hosts India play England in the 11th match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The two teams will be on high after both won their opening encounters, though against teams slightly lower than them in rankings.
India displayed a superior batting display against Bangladesh in their opening match to amass a total of over 350 runs. Bangladesh ran them close but in the end they had to give up, 87 runs shy of the target. Indian opener Vireder Sehwag was all guns blazing and went on to make 175 from 140 balls.
England, on the other hand, had a nervy win over the Netherlands. The English let the Dutch make a massive 292 and though they were able to chase the total successfully, much was left to be desired in both, their batting and bowling. They won the game anyway and will come to Bengaluru with a little of bit smile on their faces, something that may be wiped off by the mighty Indians.
The teams
India will go to Bengaluru as clear favorites. Their batting line up comprises such big names as Sehwag, Tendulkar, Kohli, Yuvraj, Gambir and Dhoni. One thing the world knows is that once Sehwag keeps going, India surely wins the match. He was unstoppable against Bangladesh and he is not done yet. He is also cleared of the minor injury scare during practice.
Apart from their opening pair, India has an undaunted strength in their middle order batting, where all rounders like Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan come in. Pathan is a game winner for India both with the ball and bat. Though he wasn't as explosive in the Bangladesh game, Pathan is a player you can never take lightly at any time. India will be happy with their rising star Kohli who has consistently performed for India in recent matches.
And with the pitch at Bengaluru favoring spinners, India will look to make do with Harbhajan Singh with the rest of spinners roping in. England seems to have some problem at hand in this department. They tried a new strategy of opening their batting with Kevin Pietersen expecting that he would fire them up as the new ball is introduced. Pietersen however seemed like he sought to play defensive more than his usual attacking game and would perish after making only 38 from 70 balls.
However, with the resurrection of Paul Collingwood as one of their ace batsman, England will hope that he can come up with great strokes and make runs as he did in their game against the Netherlands. Their middle order led by Jonathan Trott and Iam Bell will look to either rescue the match or pile pressure on the Indians. England's main problem is lack of more spin options. They have only one proper spinner in Graeme Swann.
The pitch
When India played their warm up game against Australia at Bengaluru, Ricky Ponting criticized the pitch for its unpreparedness, a fact that denies pace bowlers a chance to explore. Rather than complain now, it's time the captains marshal their troupes and fight on the ground just as it is.
Players to watch
Harbhajan Singh may be the player to frustrate the English with his spin, though he may find his antidote in Kevin Pietersen. Yuvraj Singh is known to perform well against England and so he may be the other player who may cause some pain on England.
Who wins?
These are not weak teams and are well prepared to face the challenge. However, its takes luck or a really good side to beat India at home so England looks a little disadvantaged in this tie.
