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Champions Trophy 2013 Finals: India vs England
Champions Trophy 2013 Finals: India vs England
India will take on hosts England in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2013 final at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday. The winners of Group A and Group B will meet in the final after convincingly winning their respective semi-final matches.
Overview:
The title match between India and England on Sunday promises to be a cracker of a contest with both the teams reaching the final convincingly. England have home ground advantage while India's batting line-up look strong.
India come into the contest as the favourites to win the title after their good performance in all departments - batting, bowling and fielding. They defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the semi-final to book a place in the final. They remain undefeated in the tournament, beating South Africa by 26 runs in the opener before defeating West Indies by eight wickets and then arch-rivals Pakistan by eight wickets. They will be keen to take their winning momentum into the final.
England, who have 19-10 win-loss ODI record at Edgbaston, will have home crowd support in the title match. They defeated South Africa by seven wickets in the semi-final en route to the final. They beat Australia by 48 runs in the opener but conceded a seven-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the second match. However, they entered the semi-final by defeating New Zealand by 10 runs in the crucial third match. They will be keen to lift their first ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.
Previous Meetings:
India have 46-35 win-loss record against England in their 86 meetings which includes two ties and three no-results. However, England lead 18-11 in their 33 meetings in England.
They have met two times in the ICC Champions Trophy and India won on both the occasions.
Team News:
India: Openers - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma - have given superb start to the team throughout the tournament. Dhawan is the highest scorer of the tournament with 332 runs after scoring two centuries and a half century in four matches. Rohit Sharma too has scored 168 runs with two half centuries. Their partnership will be crucial in the final too. With batsmen like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja in the line-up, they surely make an intimidating batting side.
On the bowling front, Ravindra Jadeja has taken 10 wickets in the tournament, second only to Australia's Mitchell McClenaghan who took 11 wickets. Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma too have been impressive throughout the tournament. Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets apiece in the semi-final match against Sri Lanka.
England: Skipper Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have scored two half centuries each in the tournament, while Ian Bell and Joe Root scored a half century apiece. It was Trott (82 not out) and Root (48), who guided the team home in the semi-final against South Africa. The top-order will be expected to perform in the final. With batsmen like Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Ravi Bopara in the line-up, they are capable of putting up a big score on the board.
On the bowling front, James Anderson is the highest wicket taker for the team with 10 wickets. Stuart Broad and James Tredwell took three wickets apiece in the semi-final, helping restrict South Africa's score to 175. They also have Steven Finn, Graeme Swann, Joe Root and Ravi Bopara in the bowling attack. They will be expected to take early wickets and restrict India's score in the final.\
Prediction:
England have home ground advantage but going by the performance this tournament, India are the favourites to win the title.
Our batsmen are prepared for English bowlers, says confident Dhoni:
Straight after a photo shoot with Alastair Cook, Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in nine feet tall in his pre-final media conference at the Edgbaston media centre here on Saturday afternoon. With an unshaven face, the Indian skipper sported a broad grin and showed no signs of pressure before the final of a major tournament.
Saying that India have played very good cricket in the Champions Trophy so far, Dhoni added the team was relaxed and the only concern was the death bowling. "Death bowlers have been a concern. It's an area we need to improve as a team."
Dhoni admitted England's pace attack had the quality to test the best of batsmen.
"The English are a very good team, especially the bowlers. What we are excited about is the fact our top order has done well, and also the fact that they have played some of the best bowlers in world cricket so far in the tournament. So I think they are quite well prepared for the English bowlers, it's just that like in every game, you have to apply," Dhoni said.
Dhoni said India's ODI performance in 2011 was relatively better than the Tests and the team was hampered by injuries and the rain. "I lost all the tosses and every game it rained. We were supposed to operate with two spinners, and with the wet ball it became very difficult," Dhoni explained.
With rain threatening Sunday's final, Dhoni said the toss could become a factor but a lot will depend on the immediate conditions. "If it's bright and sunny, I don't think it will have that much of an impact, but if it's overcast and there is a bit of rain before the start of the game, then it may have an impact on the game. So I think as of now it's quite balanced. I don't think the toss will be very crucial," he said.
Dhoni said it was an important final from an Indian point of view. "We will have good support and we must play for the fans. It should be a good game for the spectators," the skipper said with a large grin.
On the bowling front, Ravindra Jadeja has taken 10 wickets in the tournament, second only to Australia's Mitchell McClenaghan who took 11 wickets. Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma too have been impressive throughout the tournament. Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets apiece in the semi-final match against Sri Lanka.
England: Skipper Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have scored two half centuries each in the tournament, while Ian Bell and Joe Root scored a half century apiece. It was Trott (82 not out) and Root (48), who guided the team home in the semi-final against South Africa. The top-order will be expected to perform in the final. With batsmen like Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Ravi Bopara in the line-up, they are capable of putting up a big score on the board.
On the bowling front, James Anderson is the highest wicket taker for the team with 10 wickets. Stuart Broad and James Tredwell took three wickets apiece in the semi-final, helping restrict South Africa's score to 175. They also have Steven Finn, Graeme Swann, Joe Root and Ravi Bopara in the bowling attack. They will be expected to take early wickets and restrict India's score in the final.\
Prediction:
England have home ground advantage but going by the performance this tournament, India are the favourites to win the title.
Our batsmen are prepared for English bowlers, says confident Dhoni:
Straight after a photo shoot with Alastair Cook, Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in nine feet tall in his pre-final media conference at the Edgbaston media centre here on Saturday afternoon. With an unshaven face, the Indian skipper sported a broad grin and showed no signs of pressure before the final of a major tournament.
Saying that India have played very good cricket in the Champions Trophy so far, Dhoni added the team was relaxed and the only concern was the death bowling. "Death bowlers have been a concern. It's an area we need to improve as a team."
Dhoni admitted England's pace attack had the quality to test the best of batsmen.
"The English are a very good team, especially the bowlers. What we are excited about is the fact our top order has done well, and also the fact that they have played some of the best bowlers in world cricket so far in the tournament. So I think they are quite well prepared for the English bowlers, it's just that like in every game, you have to apply," Dhoni said.
Dhoni said India's ODI performance in 2011 was relatively better than the Tests and the team was hampered by injuries and the rain. "I lost all the tosses and every game it rained. We were supposed to operate with two spinners, and with the wet ball it became very difficult," Dhoni explained.
With rain threatening Sunday's final, Dhoni said the toss could become a factor but a lot will depend on the immediate conditions. "If it's bright and sunny, I don't think it will have that much of an impact, but if it's overcast and there is a bit of rain before the start of the game, then it may have an impact on the game. So I think as of now it's quite balanced. I don't think the toss will be very crucial," he said.
Dhoni said it was an important final from an Indian point of view. "We will have good support and we must play for the fans. It should be a good game for the spectators," the skipper said with a large grin.
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