Shaky India run into undefeated England

NEW DELHI: India and England meet at a decisive juncture in the World Cup, more for the hosts. Unbeaten England sit comfortably with seven points while India, after two losses in a row, are under pressure with just four points from as many matches with a semifinal spot at stake.

- Samreen Razzaqui

India head coach Amol Muzumdar had hinted at changes being imminent after the defeats to South Africa and Australia in Visakhapatnam, suggesting that the batting approach and team composition were under review ahead of the England clash at Indore on Sunday.

The pitch, expected to be far more batting-friendly than those in Guwahati, Colombo and Visa-khapatnam, could tempt India to alter their balance and perhaps reconsider the trade-off between batting depth and playing an extra specialist bowler.

India’s middle order has struggled to accelerate and add momentum after good starts, often leaving the lower order to rebuild. Simultaneously, the bowling has shown signs of fatigue, particularly at the death.

India can't afford any more errors though. A defeat here would put their semifinal hopes in jeopardy, especially with South Africa on a solid comeback and New Zealand rediscovering form.