In a high-stakes showdown, the undefeated hosts, India, are gearing up to take on the wounded defending champions, England, at Lucknow’s Ekana stadium. England finds themselves in a do-or-die battle to salvage their fading hopes in the tournament. Despite being touted as one of the top contenders, they currently languish at the bottom of the points table, marking a dire situation four weeks into the World Cup.

The return of all-rounder Ben Stokes was expected to provide a much-needed boost for the Three Lions. However, his absence in the initial matches left England grappling with team balance issues, resulting in a series of defeats. The only bright spot was a victory against Bangladesh in Dharamsala.

In contrast, India, led by Rohit Sharma, has been impeccable in the tournament. Their familiarity with the surfaces has been an advantage, allowing them to secure victories in all their previous matches. The top order, led by Rohit, has displayed remarkable form, while the middle order has chipped ineffectively.

With the bowlers firing on all cylinders, India’s title credentials have been emphatically reinforced. England, who hold a 4-3 lead over India in head-to-head encounters in ODI World Cups, will aim to upset the hosts if conditions align in their favour.

KL Rahul, acknowledging the threat England poses, emphasized that in cricket, no team starts as a favourite, highlighting the unpredictability of the sport.

England’s assistant coach, Marcus Trescothick, is optimistic about reversing their fortunes in a challenging match against India.

The teams are as follows:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

England: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

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