India and England are set to face each other in a crucial match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday. The match will start at 2:00 PM IST and will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar in India. Here is how you can watch the live streaming of the match online and on TV.
India aim to continue unbeaten run, England seek revival
India are the only team that have not lost a single match in the ongoing World Cup so far. They have won all their five games and are placed second on the points table with 10 points, behind South Africa on net run rate. India have been dominant in all departments, with their top order scoring heavily, their middle order providing stability and their bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals.
England, on the other hand, are in a dire situation. The defending champions have lost four of their five matches and are languishing at the ninth spot with only two points. They need to win all their remaining four games and hope for other results to go their way to have any chance of making it to the semifinals. England have been plagued by injuries, poor form and lack of consistency in their performance.
Key players to watch out for
India have several players who have been in sublime form in the World Cup. Captain Rohit Sharma has scored two centuries and a fifty in five innings and is the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 403 runs at an average of 100.75. Virat Kohli has also been among the runs, scoring 281 runs at an average of 70.25. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav have chipped in with useful contributions in the middle order.
In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah has been the leader of the attack, taking 13 wickets at an average of 15.69 and an economy rate of 4.02. He is supported by Mohammed Shami, who has taken nine wickets at an average of 20.55 and an economy rate of 4.56. Kuldeep Yadav has also been impressive, taking eight wickets at an average of 19.50 and an economy rate of 4.50.
England have some star players who can turn the tide in their favour if they click. Jonny Bairstow is the highest run-scorer for England with 222 runs at an average of 44.40 and a strike rate of 97.36. He is followed by Joe Root, who has scored 211 runs at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of 86.07. Ben Stokes has also shown glimpses of his brilliance, scoring a century against Bangladesh and taking four wickets against Afghanistan.
England’s bowling has been their weak link, as they have failed to contain the opposition batsmen and take wickets at crucial junctures. Chris Woakes has been their most successful bowler with eight wickets at an average of 28.62 and an economy rate of 5.71. Adil Rashid has also taken eight wickets but at a higher average of 35.62 and an economy rate of 6.01.
Head-to-head record and previous encounters
India and England have played 106 ODIs against each other, with India leading the head-to-head record with 57 wins, while England have won 44 times. Two matches have been tied and three have ended in no result.
The last time these two teams met in an ODI was in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, where England won by 31 runs at Edgbaston. Bairstow scored a century for England, while Kohli and Rohit scored fifties for India.
In the World Cup history, India and England have played nine times, with India winning three times, England winning five times and one match ending in a tie.
Pitch report and weather forecast
The pitch at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium is expected to be a good one for batting, with some assistance for the spinners as well. The average first innings score at this venue is 264, while the average second innings score is 233.
The weather forecast for Lucknow on Saturday is mostly sunny, with a maximum temperature of 32 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. There is no chance of rain during the match.
