Indian skipper Virat Kohli was full of praise for Rishabh Pant at the toss during the game against England. The talented youngster was drafted into the team in place of Vijay Shankar.
India and England are playing an important game on Sunday. The hosts will need to win the match in order to have their semi final chances in their own hands. On the other hand, India are on a roll after winning all the matches they played in the tournament so far.
After winning the toss, England captain Eoin Morgan chose to bat first. He made two changes to the side that faced Australia. Opener Jason Roy came back in and Liam Plunkett was brought back in place ofc. Despite losing the toss, Virat Kohli was optimistic. He feels chasing after the first game against South Africa is key for their campaign.
“Never a problem.. Love chasing. But honestly we would have batted first today. We haven’t chased after the first game in the tournament, so it’s a good challenge for us. We haven’t really focused on the opposition in this tournament, that’s why we have been consistent.
Meanwhile, captain Virat Kohli also revealed that there is one change in the team. Talented Rishabh Pant was drafted into the team after Vijay Shankar is unfit. The all rounder had suffered a toe injury last week and it appears that he is still carrying the niggle.
Rishabh Pant is going to make his world cup debut against England.
“We do have one change. Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle, Rishabh Pant is in. He brings in a lot of fearlessness. He has a small boundary. Once he gets to 20, then it’s a different ball game.”
On the other hand, there has been lot of indications over Pakistan fans supporting India today. If India wins against England, there will be a good chance for Pakistan to progress to semi finals. Also, if India can win against England, it blooms the qualifying chances for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also. Virat Kohli was quick to acknowledge that it is a rare thing to see Pakistan fans cheering for India.
“To be honest I haven’t seen what’s been happening outside. But I do believe the Pakistani fans will be supporting us, which is a rare thing (smiles).”
Here are the lineups for England vs India
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood
