Pre Thatcher batting style |
India v England is the biggest game of the tournament so far. Having been whipped to a pulp by the local rozzers in the pursuit of tickets earlier in the week, Indian supporters will whip themselves to a frenzy demanding a performance from their team. The possibility of a constitutional crisis apart, FB finds this a hard one to call. India's recent record against England in India is overwhelming. On that basis, England needn't bother turning up, so dominant have the home side been. But this is the first test of India under the extreme pressure of the home supporters and while FB can't see such an experienced side coming unstuck, you just never know. Home advantage didn't help Sri Lanka yesterday.
So far, both sides seem to bat stronger than they bowl. England will want to forget about their performance with the ball against Netherlands. And Sreesanth in particular will want to do better than his wayward offering against Bangladesh. But the Bangalore wicket is said to be juicy following heavy rain during the week, so England's seamers might get some joy. There is even speculation that Messrs Duckworth and Lewis could be brought into play for the first time in the tournament. (See this link for FB's account of the origin of the method). These little factors could even the balance. FB is predicting a big one from KP - it's his kind of situation - he may even bat well too. And India may have to use more batters than they did last week, but they'll do it.
Pride of Scotland |
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