In front of a packed stadium in Lucknow, India convincingly defeated the defending champions. They were asked to bat on a challenging pitch and struggled, losing three of their top four batters with single-digit scores.
Captain Rohit Sharma adapted well to the conditions, scoring 87, and formed a crucial 91-run partnership with KL Rahul. SKY contributed 49 runs, and a 21-run stand for the ninth wicket helped India reach a total of 229. India won the match by 100 runs.
At the halfway mark, England appeared to be in a better position, benefitting from the dew factor. They scored 30 runs off the first 27 balls, but then something remarkable happened. India’s bowlers, led by Bumrah, applied pressure with precise deliveries, taking early wickets. Malan was dismissed after chopping the ball on, and Root was given out leg-before-wicket without scoring. Shami’s delivery movement made it challenging for the English batsmen, with Stokes and Bairstow both departing for ducks. England couldn’t recover from these setbacks.
Kuldeep bowled a superb delivery to dismiss Buttler, which further weakened England’s chances. With the exception of Siraj, all of India’s bowlers were relentless, defending the total of 229 with ease.
Rohit Sharma was declared player of the match for his outstanding innings on a difficult pitch.
Earlier, England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to field against India in the ongoing World Cup on Sunday at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
England made a wise decision. This choice led to India scoring 229/9 in 50 overs at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on Sunday. Although Rohit Sharma provided India with a strong start, wickets tumbled regularly on the opposite end. Even the usually in-form Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck, a rare occurrence in his World Cup career.
KL Rahul provided valuable support to Rohit Sharma, initiating a recovery for the Indian team. Rohit was the primary scorer during their partnership and, in the process, surpassed 18,000 international runs and achieved another half-century. Their partnership concluded at 91 runs when Rahul was dismissed by Willey in the 31st over.
Suryakumar Yadav then joined Rohit, contributing 33 runs for the fifth wicket, but Rohit fell short of a century by 13 runs. Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed shortly thereafter, leaving Suryakumar Yadav to guide India to a competitive finish while batting with the lower-order batsmen.
Suryakumar fell just one run short of his half-century. Bumrah and Kuldeep helped India reach a total just shy of 229.
Jos Buttler’s England is teetering on the edge of elimination from the World Cup. Having suffered four defeats in five games, their campaign is hanging by a thread. While a loss today will certainly not help their cause, a victory may temporarily postpone what appears to be an inevitable exit.
