India team bosses on Monday defended M.S. Dhoni after the wicketkeeper-batsman came under fire for slow batting towards the end of his side's World Cup defeat to England.

Chasing a stiff target 338 to win, previously unbeaten India needed 71 runs from the last five overs of Sunday's match at Edgbaston, with veteran big-hitter Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav at the crease. 

But the pair added just 39, scrambling singles but failing to find the boundary regularly, to finish on 306-5. Dhoni was unbeaten on 42 off 31 deliveries while Jadhav was 12 not out off 13 balls.

The two batsmen were criticised in the Indian press and on social media, with pundits labelling their approach as "baffling".

But assistant coach Sanjay Bangar said the criticism levelled at the former captain surprised him, adding that 37-year-old Dhoni was "doing the job for the team".

"Except for one odd innings, he has done the role always. Five out of seven games he has done the job for the team," said Bangar.

"If you see the earlier games, against South Africa he stitched together a partnership of 70 (the partnership was 74) with Rohit (Sharma). After that, what was required of him against Australia he did that.

"In Manchester on a difficult track (against West Indies) he got a vital fifty for us. Here also he was striking the ball really well. I'm surprised that this question continues to come up every now and then."

A powerful middle-order batsman who led India to World Cup glory at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 2011, Dhoni's finishing prowess has recently been questioned.

Earlier in the current tournament he faced flak for his slow knock against Afghanistan, when he scored just 28 off 52 deliveries.

Bangar said England's excellent bowling was the reason for India's struggles in Birmingham, rather than Dhoni's alleged lack of intent.

"If you look at the way they bowled towards the end, they used the dimensions really well and created difficult angles for our batters to hit," said Bangar.

"In those large boundaries and with the type of balls they were bowling -- slower bouncers, a lot of into-the-wicket deliveries, slower balls, I just felt maybe last one or two overs, the difference between runs required and balls left were a bit too much."

Rising star Rishabh Pant impressed with his cameo at number four and Bangar said the young batsman would keep his place in the side for Tuesday's match against Bangladesh, also at Edgbaston.

“I felt he had a decent innings,�?Bangar told reporters at Edgbaston. “He got 32 and played a couple of god shots, got a partnership going (with Hardik Pandya), so we’re going to persist with him.

“The team management was feeling the absence of a left-hander since Shikhar got injured,�?Bangar said, explaining the decision to send Pant ahead of Pandya on Sunday.

“It was a ploy to use right-left combination in the middle overs to upset the bowling plans. I feel because of that Adil Rashid could not bowl the number of overs he’d have usually bowled.�?/p>

The 21-year-old Pant, who joined the team in the middle of the tournament after an injury to opener Shikhar Dhawan, made 32 off 29 balls. 

India need one win from their remaining two matches to guarantee a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

Rohit Sharma admitted there were ‘lessons�?to be learnt from England's bowlers after India suffered their first defeat of this World Cup against the hosts on Sunday.

Sharma hit 102 �?his third century of the tournament �?but India fell short of their 338-run target in 31-run loss at Edgbaston.

Jonny Bairstow led England's charge with his 111 off 109 balls to set up an England victory that got them a step closer to booking a semi-finals berth.

Bowlers led by Chris Woakes then bowled a disciplined line to choke India in the final overs despite a 138-run second-wicket stand between Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli.

"They played better cricket throughout this match. While batting they had not one but three partnerships. On the other side we had only one big partnership," Sharma told reporters after India's first loss in seven matches.

"They mixed the short ball and the slower ball and forced us to hit at the longer boundaries which was a lesson for us for our next game."

India need to win one of their remaining two group matches to clinch their semi-final berth, with their next clash against Bangladesh slated for Tuesday back in Birmingham.

Virat Kohli's side looked capable of making a record World Cup run chase at 198 for two from 36 overs, only to lose the plot in the last 10 overs.

England paceman Liam Plunkett took three key wickets, including the prized scalp of Kohli for 66.

Woakes struck early to send back KL Rahul trudging back to the pavilion for nought and later cut short Sharma's innings in the 37th over.

"Losing an early wicket always puts you under pressure, and we lost KL right at the start, and they bowled pretty well in the first 10 overs," said Sharma.

MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav were criticised for their lack of intent in the final five overs when the duo managed just 39 runs.

It is not the first time that Dhoni, who remained unbeaten on 42 off 31 deliveries, and Jadhav, who made 12 not out, have got flak for batting slowly.

But Sharma defended his batsmen while stressing the England bowlers made it hard for both Dhoni and Jadhav, who were both booed by a large Indian crowd in Birmingham.

"When MS and Kedar were batting, I think they were trying to hit, but they were not able to because of the slowness of the pitch," said the Indian vice-captain.

"You've got to give credit to English team because they used the conditions really well. They used the longer boundary really well."

But Kohli was not too pleased with the ground in Birmingham having a very short boundary on one side, saying the toss became crucial due to this factor.

"The toss was vital, especially since the boundary was that short. It is a coincidence that it just falls under the limitations of the shortest boundary you can have," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

"It is quite bizarre on a flat pitch. It is crazy things fall in place like that randomly.

"If the batsmen are able to reverse sweep you for six on a 59 metre boundary there is not much you can do. And one side was 82 metres."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @cricketworldcup

It was a day to forget for the Indian cricket fans as their side suffered their first defeat at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup against England, who registered a comfortable 31-run win in Birmingham on Sunday.

Riding on a brilliant century from Jonny Bairstow and a late cameo from Ben Stokes, the hosts had put up 337/ 7 in their 50 overs. In reply, though the Indians looked to be in control as long as skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were in the middle, once the two departed, their innings fell apart as none of the other batsmen could force the issue. This, they eventually fell short of 31 runs.

However, it was wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni who came under heavy criticism as he once again failed to pace his innings as the required run-rate kept soaring with every passing over. Though Rohit came to Dhoni’s defence in the post-match press conference stating that the slowness in the pitch made it extremely difficult to time the shots, the social media world was having none of that.

Here are a few reactions to Dhoni’s 42 of 31 deliveries against England.

Someone please give those insignia gloves to Dhoni, like now.

�?Naila Inayat नायल�?इनाय�?(@nailainayat) June 30, 2019

kya hai yeh fielding. Cheh! Give them the match. They deserve it. #ENGvIND #CWC19

�?Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) June 30, 2019

Dhoni waiting for the 49th over. pic.twitter.com/uI0VWl7EiN

�?Alagappan V (@IndianMourinho) June 30, 2019

Even Sourav Ganguly has no explanation for singles frenzy by Dhoni and Jadhav when they need to accelerate the inning.
The intent is missing. #INDvENG #CWC19

�?Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) June 30, 2019

Indian run rate once Dhoni comes in ..#INDvENG #indiavsEngland pic.twitter.com/y7FVsKQ5rU

�?Punter (@I_m_Punter) June 30, 2019

Dhoni right now. 56 runs off 17 balls. #cwc19 #indveng pic.twitter.com/nFIlKR2e2F

�?Cricky! (@crickyup) June 30, 2019

Dhoni digging India grave with singles #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/8uxoxPtMgV

�?dr _chloroform �? (@sirfyou) June 30, 2019

Seeing such a reaction, one can only hope that the Indian team, and especially Dhoni, find their mojo soon and get back to winning ways.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

Jonny Bairstow hit a hundred before Chris Woakes starred as England ended India's unbeaten run at this World Cup with a 31-run win on Sunday to once again leave semi-final qualification in their own hands. 

England, who came into this match on the back of successive defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia, will be assured of a place in the last four if they beat New Zealand in their last group match on Wednesday.

India can reach the knockout phase by beating Bangladesh when they return to Edgbaston on Tuesday.

England's bid to win a first World Cup title is based on aggressive top-order batting but the runs had dried up lately.

That made their 337-7 after captain Eoin Morgan won the toss on a good pitch in Birmingham all the more heartening.

Bairstow top-scored with 111 and all-rounder Ben Stokes added a brisk 79, with India paceman Mohammed Shami taking a career-best 5-69.

No side have made more batting second to win a World Cup match than Ireland's 329-7 against England at Bangalore in 2011.

Title contenders India weren't up to the task as their chase petered out on 306-5.

India were a long way off from the moment opener KL Rahul was caught and bowled for a duck by Warwickshire paceman Woakes, who reeled off an impressive three straight maidens with the new ball on his home ground.

Rohit Sharma, Rahul's opening partner, should have fallen for four but Joe Root dropped a routine second-slip catch off fast bowler Jofra Archer.

It threatened to be a costly miss with Sharma going on to 102, his third century of the tournament, in front of an overwhelmingly India-supporting capacity crowd of more than 24,000.

Sharma also shared a second-wicket stand of 138 with India captain Virat Kohli, whose 66 was the star batsman's fifth successive fifty of this World Cup.

But Kohli fell when he sliced Liam Plunkett to backward point.

Sharma went to three figures, after scores of 122 not out against South Africa and 140 against Pakistan, in 106 balls with 15 fours.

But the pressure of the chase told when he was caught behind off a Woakes off-cutter to leave India 198-3 in the 37th over.

Rishabh Pant made 32 at better than a run-a-ball and it looked as if he had hit the first six of the innings only for Woakes, running round from deep backward square, to hold a brilliant diving catch.

India needed 104 more runs off the last 10 overs but their hopes faded when the big-hitting Hardik Pandya (45) holed out to substitute James Vince off fast bowler Plunkett, who justified his recall in place of off-spinner Moeen Ali with 3-55.

Earlier, Bairstow and Jason Roy (66), returning after missing three matches with a torn hamstring, shared a first-wicket stand of 160 -- the highest opening partnership of the tournament.

Bairstow, involved in a pre-match spat with former England captain Michael Vaughan after suggesting pundits wanted England to lose, twice saw big inside edges miss the stumps.

Roy could have been out on 21 when all-rounder Pandya appealed for a caught behind down the legside.

But umpire Aleem Dar signalled a wide instead and Kohli opted against a review, although replays suggested the ball had touched Roy's glove.

Roy reached fifty in just 41 balls before, on 66, he was well caught by substitute Ravindra Jadeja at long-on.

A single off Pandya saw Bairstow to a 90 ball-hundred, including eight fours and six sixes, before he carved Shami to deep cover.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

Jonny Bairstow hit a hundred and Ben Stokes added a blistering 79 as England posted an imposing 337-7 against India in a crunch World Cup match for the tournament hosts on Sunday.

England had to win at Edgbaston to keep qualification for the semi-finals in their own hands following successive defeats by Sri Lanka and reigning champions Australia.

Their favoured aggressive batting game came to the fore as they capitalised on captain Eoin Morgan's decision to bat first on a good pitch.

Opener Bairstow made 111, while Jason Roy more than justified his recall after missing three matches with a torn hamstring by making 66 in a first-wicket stand of 160.

Mohammed Shami, roared on by a hugely partisan crowd clad mainly in blue India shirts, took a career-best 5-69, his first five-wicket haul in a one-day international.

But despite the paceman becoming just the second player to take three successive four-wicket hauls in World Cup cricket after Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, India faced a tough task if they were to achieve a win that would guarantee their place in the last four.

"It was good to be back out there after some time on the bench. We have put a competitive total on the board," Roy said.

"We got a good start. We thought 320ish after the two openers were out so we are happy with that."

India have had 12 targets of 300 or more since the last World Cup, but have only enjoyed a successful chase in three of those matches. 

Pre-tournament favourites England, looking to win the World Cup for the first time, had badly missed Roy.

Roy, however, was quickly into his stride, with the Surrey star chopping his second ball from Shami for four.

Bairstow, involved in a pre-match spat with former England captain Michael Vaughan after suggesting pundits wanted England to lose, had two lucky breaks when big inside edges missed the stumps.

India captain Virat Kohli brought on leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the sixth over but Bairstow soon hit him down the ground.

Roy could have been out on 21 when India all-rounder Hardik Pandya appealed for a caught behind down the legside off his fourth delivery.

But Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar signalled a wide instead and Kohli opted against a review, although replays suggested the ball had touched Roy's glove.

Roy then hit Pandya's next ball for six.

Bairstow went to fifty when he launched Chahal for a six that just cleared the back-pedalling KL Rahul at long-on, the fielder landing awkwardly as he made a desperate attempt at a catch.

Roy then followed Bairstow to the landmark in just 41 balls before, on 66, Ravindra Jadeja, the substitute for Rahul, ran in from long-on to hold a low diving catch.

Bairstow twice more clubbed Chahal over long-on for six.

A single off Pandya saw Bairstow to a 90 ball-hundred, including eight fours and six sixes. But his innings ended when he carved Shami to Rishabh Pant at deep cover.

Stokes maintained the momentum in a 54-ball innings before he was caught off Jasprit Bumrah in the last over.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @cricketworldcup

England beat India by 31 runs in Sunday's World Cup clash to keep their semi-finals hopes intact. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from the crucial match at Edgbaston:

Bairstow lets his bat do the talking

Jonny Bairstow had received flak for his criticism of the World Cup pitches after claiming they had been changed for the tournament, but the England batsman delivered when he got a strip to his liking at Edgbaston.

Bairstow, who was also embroiled in a row with former England captain Michael Vaughan after insisting pundits wanted his team to lose, started with a few lucky edges that went past the stumps for four but soon took control with his attacking play.

for Bairstow! And what a match to get your maiden World Cup century in!

Watch the highlights on the #CWC19 app
APPLE //t.co/VpYh7SIMyP
ANDROID //t.co/cVREQ16w2N pic.twitter.com/OESbKIuBEf

�?ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2019

He combined with opening partner Jason Roy to bring up the tournament's best first-wicket partnership of 160 runs.

The steely determination to defy his critics reflected in his batting as he pulled, drove and reverse swept with equal elan in his 111 off 109 balls.

Bairstow, whose innings was laced 10 fours and six sixes, got to his eighth ODI hundred to take off his helmet, raise his bat and put his thumbs up to the dressing room.

Shami makes it count

Mohammed Shami looked like getting a wicket every ball at the start of his spell only to return figures of 0-21 after three overs of speed and accuracy.

It was in his third spell that Shami came back roaring to finally see the back of Jonny Bairstow who sliced an outside the off stump ball to get caught at deep cover.

Mohammed Shami completes his five-for �?/p>

It's his first five-wicket haul in ODIs

He now has 13 wickets in three games at #CWC19

What an impact he's having #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/m8AGmaNgKB

�?Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 30, 2019

The 28-year-old Shami, who only got a World Cup game after an injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, struck again in his sixth over to get England skipper Eoin Morgan out for one.

He kept getting key England wickets including Joe Root and Jos Buttler to claim a maiden five-wicket ODI haul for the first time in a career that began in 2013.

But Stokes crashed Shami's party after getting 15 runs with two fours, a six and one single off the bowlers' 10th over as he returned figures of 5-69.

Rohit's valiant hundred

Rohit Sharma once again showed his thirst for runs can't be quenched as he tried to launch India's chase with a century that entertained the packed Edgbaston crowd.

The opener survived an early reprieve when Joe Root dropped a regulation chance at second slip off Jofra Archer.

3rd #CWC19 Hundred for @ImRo45

Not his most fluent, but it can be mighty important if he bats the 50 overs for #TeamIndia#ENGvIND #RohitSharma #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/LuEFlgiKwc

�?Stumped.app (@stumped_app) June 30, 2019

e went about his innings in clinical fashion, running the singles and twos and chipping in with an occasional boundary as he reached his fifty with a four off Adil Rashid.

The Indian vice-captain lost his partner in Virat Kohli after a 138-run stand but went on to complete his third century in the World Cup.

He was finally caught behind off Woakes for 102 while trying to cut a rising delivery wide outside the off stump as wicketkeeper Jos Buttler made no mistake.

Sharma walked back in disbelief, taking with him India's chances of a record World Cup run chase.

Feature image courtesy: @icc

Eoin Morgan says England need to adapt better to home conditions but is confident they will not buckle under pressure against India as they scrap to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

England looked set for the semi-finals when they won four of their first five matches but losses to Sri Lanka and Australia opened the door for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Morgan's side need to beat India on Sunday and then get past New Zealand in their final league game to guarantee a place in the final four.

The skipper, speaking on Saturday, said England had regained their focus ahead of the match at Edgbaston and their final game against New Zealand.

"We are handling it well," he said. "Playing in a home World Cup for your own country is an extremely privileged position to be in.

Read | England's World Cup on the line against India

"If we win the two (games), go through to the semi-finals. If we win that, we get through to a World Cup final. There's still a lot on the line, and we're really looking forward to it.

"It is not worth thinking about losing. Mathematically there is still a chance if we lose but we want to win two and tomorrow is a huge priority."

Morgan said his side, renowned for the power-hitting that took them to the top of the one-day international rankings, needed to be flexible in their approach after poor batting displays against Sri Lanka and Australia.

"I can't fault the commitment or application that the guys have produced in every single game. Where we've let ourselves down as a group is adapting to conditions," he said.

"It's been a bigger challenge in this World Cup than previous bilateral series. We're going to have to adapt to conditions, adapt to playing against a strong side in India."

"We bat deep. We bat strong," he added. "We tend to play in high-scoring games. So it's an area that we'd be more confident playing."

Read | England v India: Three key battles

Morgan said opening batsman Jason Roy is "preparing to play tomorrow" after missing three games, two of which ended in defeats for England.

Roy, who smashed 153 from 121 balls against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament, has been badly missed and Morgan said England were ready to play the batsman even if he was not 100 percent fit.

The captain gave a similar response in relation to Jofra Archer's availability, with England fretting over an injury to the paceman, who has a side strain.

"Jofra is going to see how it is. It is the same thing he has been playing with the last three games. We will see how he comes through," Morgan said.

"The exact same rule applies. If it is going to rule him out long-term then we won't play him. If it risks him short-term, then yes."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @Coral

How has it come to this? It's a question many England fans will be asking now their side's World Cup hopes are in the balance.

An England side widely tipped to end their World Cup drought by triumphing on home soil find themselves facing the very real prospect of a first-round exit heading into their match against unbeaten India at Edgbaston on Sunday.

England, despite coming into the World Cup as the top-ranked side in one-day internationals, have lost three pool matches, including their last two, against Sri Lanka and reigning champions Australia.

Another defeat by Virat Kohli's India would leave them on the brink of a first-round exit ahead of their concluding match in the 10-team round-robin phase against New Zealand.

To make matters worse for the home side, England opener Jonny Bairstow has found himself involved in a public row with former captain Michael Vaughan, who labelled his fellow Yorkshire cricketer's claim that people are waiting for the hosts to fail at the World Cup "negative" and "pathetic".

England's white-ball revival from the depths of their first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup was built on aggressive top-order batting that saw them compile huge totals.

But they have been unable to adjust their game on the more bowler-friendly surfaces at this World Cup, where lower totals and a more old-fashioned approach of not losing early wickets and then accelerating has been the policy of successful sides such as Australia.

Now they are set to face India's spinners on an Edgbaston pitch that generally provides more turn than any other World Cup venue.

England's two most recent defeats have coincided with the absence through a hamstring injury of Jason Roy, with replacement James Vince struggling to fill the gap left by the Surrey opener.

Vince is only in the squad because England ditched regular back-up batsman Alex Hales for a second positive test for recreational drug use -- a decision taken on the grounds of maintaining team "culture" that they could live to regret.

"We know we can perform better as a group and Jason is a fantastic player to have available. It would be a boost to have him play " England's Jos Buttler said at Edgbaston on Friday.

'No backward step'

England's dilemma was summed up by Ben Stokes after his 89 failed to prevent a 64-run defeat by Australia at Lord's on Tuesday.

"We just need to adjust to situations and then conditions, but we are not for one minute going to take a backward step," he said.

Former England captain Mike Atherton, writing in The Times, said: "It requires thought and intelligence to adapt, without sacrificing the intent that is fundamental to their approach -- a tricky balance."

Buttler said the side were capable of handling the stresses of tournament play, saying "pressure is a privilege".

Adding to England's problems are injury fears over fast bowler Jofra Archer (side) and leg-spinner Adil Rashid (shoulder), while Sunday's match may well feel like an away game given India fans could constitute the majority of the Edgbaston crowd.

Two-times champions India, by contrast, will guarantee a place in the semi-finals if they win, although there are concerns they are too reliant on Kohli for runs.

"At the top of the order, Rohit Sharma has not fired the last couple of times, and that means KL Rahul needs to do more," said former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth.

"Everyone knows he is capable of doing it, he has done it before and will need to correct his course."

So too will England.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @HomeOfCricket

India captain Virat Kohli says he relishes the intense pressure at the World Cup as he targets a win against England on Sunday that would seal a place in the semi-finals.

The two-time champions have won five of their six league games, with one washout, and need to win just one of their last three matches to guarantee progress from the group phase.

Kohli, the world's top-ranked Test and one-day international batsman, has hit four consecutive half-centuries and on Thursday became the fastest batsmen to 20,000 international runs across all formats.

"I would say that's a lie if I say I'm not under pressure," said Kohli on the eve of the match at Edgbaston.

 "I'm probably good at hiding it. If I don't (feel pressure) then probably I don't have enough motivation to play any more.

"That is the excitement that all of us carry as international cricketers -- to walk into a pressure situation and come out on top."

England are wobbling badly after two straight defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia and they need to beat both India and New Zealand to guarantee a place in the semi-finals.

Kohli said he did not know why Eoin Morgan's side, who started the tournament as favourites, had stumbled so badly.

"Look, everyone is a bit surprised. We thought England is probably going to dominate in their own conditions," said Kohli.

"But as I said at the beginning of the tournament in the press conference, that pressure is going to be a massive factor to handle and low scores are going to be defended."

India have impressed at the tournament in England and Wales but their middle-order batting has been a concern, with M.S. Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav questioned over slow scoring in the middle overs.

Dhoni was criticised for his 52-ball 28 against Afghanistan, a game that India won by 11 runs, but Kohli defended the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman and the other players.

"That discussion is always going to go on because we've had such a strong top order that these guys have hardly had a chance to bat," said Kohli.

"We're not looking too much into it. He (Dhoni) knows exactly what he needs to do."

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @RCBTweets

England face India on Sunday knowing they need two wins to guarantee a place in the semi-finals at their own World Cup.

The hosts, led by Eoin Morgan, are in danger of seeing their dream slip away after defeats by Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.

Virat Kohli's India, who have just replaced England at the top of the one-day international rankings, are not the team the hosts would have chosen to face, with five wins out of six matches plus one washout.

Here we at three key battles ahead of the match at Edgbaston:

Morgan v Kohli - captaincy battle

Morgan has exemplified England's aggressive brand of cricket since their first-round exit in the 2015 World Cup, but his leadership in another pressure-cooker situation is once again facing a stern examination.

The 32-year-old batsman scored a career-best 148 in England's comprehensive victory against Afghanistan but failed to fire in the team's subsequent two defeats.

Can he inspire his side to book a final-four berth? That is the question English fans are asking and a win against Kohli's all-conquering team would go a long way to providing the answer, with a final match against New Zealand to follow.

Kohli has led by example, with four successive World Cup half-centuries, even though he is yet to notch a century.

But the star batsman, with 20,000 international runs under his belt, is always dangerous on the biggest stage and few would bet against him reaching three figures when it most counts.

Archer v Bumrah - pace attack

Twitter / CricketWorldCup

Jofra Archer has justified the hype that surrounded his selection in England's World Cup squad, taking 16 wickets in his seven outings.

His ability to bowl at a fearsome pace gives Morgan's team an added dimension and he will pose a threat to India's celebrated top order.

But India can also boast significant firepower, with the world's top ODI bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, leading an attack that includes the impressive Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Bumrah, who bowls with an unorthodox sling-arm action, has claimed nine wickets in five matches and has one of the best economy rates of 4.45 in the tournament.

Twists and turns

Twitter / @WCW_India

Off-spinner Moeen Ali has been England's go-to man in crunch situations and proved to be a handful against India in the 2018 Test series, claiming 12 wickets in the two matches he played.

Moeen and leg-spinner Adil Rashid have combined to take 12 wickets at the World Cup and they are set to be a key part of England's plans after India struggled against Afghanistan's spinners in Southampton last week.

India wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been a big factor in their side's recent successes in limited-overs cricket.

Chahal, who has taken 10 wickets in five games, and Yadav are both likely to be deployed at Edgbaston unless Kohli plans to use the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja instead.

But either way, a match-up between the English and Indian spinners is bound to add intrigue.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / BCCI