ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013 FINAL : INDIA vs ENGLAND : INDIA PREVIEW

“Unerring India romp into the finals!” would be  the headline across most dailies today. Frankly, India could do no wrong in this tournament after what has unraveled in the past two weeks. But things were not so rosy when the team for the Champions Trophy was announced. The selectors drew the ire of the fans as soon as they realized that their favourite stars were missing from the Champions Trophy line up. Nobody gave India a chance and it might just have been that freedom that allowed India to play fearless cricket.

The Final:

The squad for the final wont change in all likelihood as Dhoni believes in sticking with the ‘tested’ eleven. Therefore, barring injuries, India would be fielding the same line up for the final. They need to be wary of England as they have looked invulnerable at home. This could probably be termed as the toughest battle for India in the tournament. The battle would be fought till the last ball and England would leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of capturing their first major ODI title.

There are some interesting battles waiting to take place on Sunday. The teams are evenly matched and would be raring to go against each other, though experience-wise England have the upper hand. I am listing out few of the possible face-offs that are set to occur on the big day:

The Battle of Equals:

Shikhar Dhawan vs. James Anderson: The explosive south-paw from Delhi is having a dream run this tournament, having gotten the better of some good new ball bowlers in the earlier matches. But he will up against a wily bowler who has troubled the best in the business with his variation and vicious swing. Therefore, this would be a battle of form against experience, and Dhawan still has one more hurdle left to take his team through.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs. Alastair Cook: The right-arm swinger from Uttar Pradesh has got the better of many southpaws, but Cook has the perfect mix of poise and footwork to his batting that might unsettle Kumar’s line and length. Cook would be wary while playing against the new ball, and bowling to him would be tough for the relatively inexperienced bowler.

Ravindra Jadeja vs. Ravi Bopara: The hard-hitting batsman from Essex has provided the much-needed impetus to England’s score after their top-order batsmen have set the stage. But Bopara would be facing a problem or two when squaring up against Jadeja, since he sticks to a line and length that gives no room for the batsmen to free their arms.

Steve Finn vs. Suresh Raina: That Raina is uncomfortable while playing the short balls is no secret. Finn would be ready, therefore, to serve some short stuff to the southpaw and prise his wicket since England know the importance of Raina to the Indian side, as they found out earlier in January. Raina would be having a tough day while facing Finn and the only way to counter his bounce would be to attack!

The Pitch and the conditions:

The Edgbaston Cricket ground hosts the final between India and England. It is a perfect pitch, tailor-made for English conditions. The batsmen would have a tough time in the middle, but they could score runs if they are prudent in their approach. The pitch would definitely favour the seamers, but the spinners would have a vital role to play as demonstrated by Graeme Swann time and again in these conditions.

The conditions would be overcast as they were in the last match that was played here between India and Pakistan. Let’s hope that the rain doesn’t play spoil-sport come Sunday.

Possible Eleven: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(c & k), Ravindra Jadeja,Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Prediction:  Glory and revenge – these are the two things that are at stake for team India. They have one last shot at winning this trophy – the only piece of silverware that is missing from Dhoni’s trophy cabinet. As they square up on Sunday, none of this would bear consequence though, and only the performances will. I am willing to put all my money on my home team, irrespective of the result, as they are the ultimate champions of this Champions Trophy edition, winning a lot of hearts back home!

ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013 : INDIA Vs SRILANKA : SEMI-FINAL 2 PREVIEW

India has finally gained the Midas touch under their skillful and effervescent skipper. They are in rollicking form and the pieces are finally falling into place. The batsmen are coming well together and apart from the odd blemishes, the bowling has been extremely pleasing. Having said that, the acid test lies ahead of India as too much of good form and good luck could get them into a false sense of confidence and complacency. Therefore, focus is the key for India as they romp into the semi-finals on an unbeaten streak.

Knowing Dhoni, he wouldn’t be too keen to experiment on the winning combination; therefore one can safely assume that the same eleven that played against Pakistan would be taking the field on Thursday.

The Rivalry:

Being our neighbours, Sri Lanka has played a vast number of matches against India, therefore our strengths and weakness lie out in the open for both the parties to see. It would only be the performance that would matter on the field.

The Conditions:

The Sophia Gardens cricket ground is renowned for its nativity as it bears the symbol of England’s cricketing excellence. It is a perfect example to demonstrate the love for cricket. The conditions, as usual, would be favouring the seamers. When it comes to India vs. Sri Lanka, the bowling department is matched equally, with Malinga and Yadav providing the necessary impetus for their respective sides, though Malinga could be termed experienced. Therefore it would be battle of equals, come Thursday.

The previous match between England and New Zealand was  almost washed out and one can expect chilly and cloudy conditions prevailing over the ground on the day of the match.

Key Players:

Shikhar Dhawan: The south paw from Delhi has hit a purple patch, that too at the most appropriate time. His form has been influential in India’s success in the tournaments as he smashed back-to-back hundreds to guide India home on both the occasions. He would be hungry for more and today would be the perfect day to bat without any sort of pressure. That could let him be even more aggressive and allow him to build on his confidence.

Ravindra Jadeja: “Sir” Ravindra Jadeja is finally earning a reputation for his title and if things continue to go his way, he might even be knighted within a few years. Jokes apart, his performances in the recent past have been brilliant to say the least. He is the perfect all-rounder that India require at the moment and his aggressive batting adds the right amount of impetus to India’s batting and provides a spot for another bowler/batsman, which is clearly a luxury.

Umesh Yadav: The Sri Lankan team would be filled with stroke makers in accordance with the conditions and our only trump card to counter their attack would be this man. Full of pace, he could be lethal if the conditions are suitable. He tries to bowl full and that is a wonderful sight for any fast bowler. He would be crucial in today’s match to provide India with the initial break through.

R. Ashwin: The wily off-spinner from Chennai has not managed to set the stage on fire in this competition and he would be looking to set the record straight come Saturday. His variations would come in handy while squaring up against a sub-continent team.

Today’s match would be anticipated for various reasons, ranging from rivalry to good action. The match tickets have been sold out and the expectations are high as the battle to gain a slot in the finals would pump both teams up, even more since this is the last edition.

India would want to put its best foot forward to wipe out all the disgrace caused due to the spot-fixing scandals. MS Dhoni is leading a good team but he shouldn’t take the Lankans for granted as they could be lethal on their day. They have some pretty good stroke makers in their line up and have variety in their bowling. It would be an acid test of sorts and there is no room for error.

All the best Team India!

Last Meeting:

India vs Sri Lanka (Practice Match, Champions Trophy) :

Result: India Won

Possible Eleven: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(c & k), Ravindra Jadeja,Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Prediction: Having gotten the better of much tougher opponents including Pakistan and South Africa, India should have this match in the bag, yet, it would definitely be a thriller, for Lankans are fighters!