Team India gearing up to face England in Cricket World Cup quarter-finals

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  • India (top) are likely to face either Bangladesh (bottom left) or England (bottom right) in the World Cup quarter-finals.

    India’s win over the West Indies may not have been convincing, but it was enough to secure their place in the Cricket World Cup quarter-finals alongside co-hosts New Zealand. Victory also assured that they remain unbeaten with four wins from four and remain top of Pool B with 8 points.

    The Men in Blue had to rely on captain MS Dhoni, who scored an unbeaten 45, to see them through to the target after batsmen fell at crucial junctures. Though the WACA pitch slowed as the game wore on, bowlers were able to extract enough bounce and pace to regularly trouble the batsmen and India remain vulnerable against bounce.

    Dhoni and Co now travel to New Zealand to face Ireland and Zimbabwe in their remaining 2 matches and nothing less than 4 points is expected from the defending champions. Having sealed qualification, and top spot in their group, Team India will likely meet either England or Bangladesh. Who out of those two now advances to the quarters hinges on the match between the two sides on Monday (February 9) at the Adelaide Oval. 

    England or Bangladesh?

    England’s nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka kept them in 5th place with only 2 points from 4 games, while Bangladesh climbed to 4th spot and earned 5 points after chasing 319 against Scotland. The battle for fourth, and the Pool’s last quarter-final spot, is in England’s favour with Afghanistan their final opposition after Bangladesh.

    Meanwhile, Bangladesh not only has to beat England, but also avoid defeat in their last game against New Zealand. Though Bangladesh will take hope from narrowly beating England by 2 wickets in the Group Stages of the 2011 World Cup at Chittagong.

    If England lose to Bangladesh they will be heading home far earlier than Eoin Morgan and Peter Moores will have hoped. Both will be banking on England exploiting the conditions on offer at the Oval and managing to beat Bangladesh with ease.

    India vs England

    Assuming England manages to qualify and India remain top of Pool A, the teams will play their knockout game at the MCG on Thursday, March 19. India’s re-emergence as World Cup favourites spells danger to any opponent, even more so for England after their disastrous performances so far.

    The English will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the MCG wicket will provide the pace and bounce that England’s quicks can worry India with.

    During the tri-series Down Under in the build-up to the World Cup, England thrashed India by 9 wickets at the Gabba, thanks to Steven Finn’s five-for. At the WACA during the same series, India showed some resistance but England secured a 3-wicket win after Jos Buttler and James Taylor added a 125-run stand for the sixth wicket to reach a target of 201. On both occasions, India’s batsmen succumbed to pace and swing with a lack of footwork and judgment doing the damage.

    India’s close encounter against the Windies was proof that they still suffer from the same problems against pace, but if they manage to get used to the wicket and fend off the early England onslaught, then they stand a great chance.

    India in New Zealand

    Back in January 2014, India travelled to New Zealand to get some exposure ahead of the World Cup as most of the players were not aware of the conditions. India, ICC Champions Trophy and World Cup champions, were ranked No1 in the world prior to the series but lost four of the five matches.

    India’s woeful overseas record forced the BCCI to launch a review in to the team as critics questioned Dhoni’s captaincy and Duncan Fletcher’s position as head coach.

    Statistically, India’s away record against the Kiwis in recent times is shocking but the same cannot be said about Ireland, their next opponent at Hamilton’s Seddon Park. India avoided a late scare against the Irish back in 2011 at Bangalore and won the only other previous ODI meeting between the two teams in 2007.

    There is no doubt that India can claim 2 points against Zimbabwe but their opposition will be eager to put up a fight and spoil India’s party ahead of the knockout stage. Moreover, it is a definite chance for team management to make tactical changes and test the strength of their squad. All-rounder Stuart Binny could replace Ravindra Jadeja on Tuesday but it is yet to be seen whether Dhoni will make changes to this winning combination. 

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