Road Safety World Series: In-form India Legends take on confident England
Mar 08, 2021
Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 8 : Sachin Tendulkar-led India Legends is all set to take on England Legends in the big encounter of the ongoing Road Safety World Series T20 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium on Tuesday.
A high on confidence India will have the upper hand in this exciting tie for the kind of talent they have at their disposal. Playing at home adds zing to their already strong presence on the field. The Indians have been the most consistent side in the tournament.
On the other hand, England, who played their first game on Sunday, opened their account immediately with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Bangladesh Legends.
Going by team balance, India could be the stronger side on paper for the sheer all-round strength.
The top-order comprising captain Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag is a deadly combination and a nightmare for any new ball bowler. The presence of the dashing southpaw Yuvraj Singh, the big-hitting Yusuf Pathan, and his brother all-rounder Irfan adds ice to the cake.
The trio of Munaf Patel, Irfan, and R Vinay Kumar not only makes India dangerous with the new ball but also brings in a lot of variety. Tweakers Yuvraj and Yusuf make it more than a back-up for India Legends leading spinner Pragyan Ojha.
For England, all eyes will be on Kevin Pietersen to take their team home, especially after he blasted and entertaining 17-ball 42 against Bangladesh to give them a strong platform for an easy win.
However, Pietersen will have to play out of his skin when he plays the in-form bowling of Team India which has been more than effective on these slow wickets. Skipper Pietersen would be expecting a bit more from his batsmen.
The bowling department of England is far more experienced with some exciting bowlers like Chris Tremlett, James Tredwell, Matthew Hoggard, Ryan Sidebottom and Sajid Mahmood in it. However, it will boil down to left-arm spinner Monty Panesar on how well he does on those slow tracks.
India Legends: Sachin Tendulkar (C), Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, S Badrinath, Yuvraj Singh Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan Munaf Patel, Manpreet Singh Gony, Pragyan Ojha, R Vinay Kumar, Noel David, Naman Ojha
England Legends: Kevin Pietersen (C), Darren Maddy, Gavin Hamilton, James Tindall, Jim Troughton, Jonathan Trott, Chris Schofield, Chris Tremlett, James Tredwell, Kabir Ali, Matthew Hoggard, Monty Panesar, Ryan Sidebottom, Sajid Mahomood, Usman Afzaal
