ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals: India vs England
The stage is set for one last time before the ICC Champions Trophy becomes a history. The countdown has been already begun for the last ever match in the history of ICC Champions Trophy. The home team England is all set to face revamped but destructive and young Indians in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals at Edgbaston with the experts labeling India as firm favourites to be crowned as Champions. Here is an exclusive preview of ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals.
Weather Forecast: The weather in Birmingham does not indicate any good sign. It is most likely to be cloudy and showers are expected on the match day. Lets hope for the best as the weather changes quickly in England.
Pitch Report: According to Sunil Gavaskar, unless the surface is covered before the start of the match, the Edgbaston pitch is expected to be flat, likely to aid the spinners and the seamers can expect the ball to reverse a bit.
Road to ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals:
| India | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Captain | Alastair Cook |
| 4 | No. of Wins | 3 |
| 0 | No. of loses | 1 |
| 1st in Group B | Total Points and Position | 1st in Group A |
| Shikhar Dhawan- 332 runs | Leading Run Scorer | Jonathan Trott- 209 runs |
| Ravindra Jadeja- 10 Wickets | Leading Wicket Taker | James Anderson- 10 Wickets |
| 331-7 vs South Africa | Highest Team total | 293-7 vs Sri Lanka |
| 102-2 vs Pakistan | Lowest team total | 169 vs New Zealand |
| 3 | Head to Head in last 5 meetings | 2 |
ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals Preview- India
Before the tournament started, given the conditions in England doesn’t suit them, no one gave India any chances of reaching the semi finals. But once the tournament started, the Indians responded in style. Pitted against South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan, India topped Group B in style by winning all the matches. In the Semi Finals they defeated Sri Lanka fair and square to reach the finals. The team put aside all the controversies back home and played together as a unit. The players excelled in all 3 departments.
The batsmen are in ominous form thrashing all that comes in their way. The form of the openers is a reason to celebrate for the team management. India’s new Opening Pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan has put on 50 runs partnership in all the matches India Played. Rohit Sharma fails to cash in on the hardwork that is being done. On the other hand Shikhar Dhawan notches some big scores and is the leading run scorer in the Tournament. Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik chipped in with some useful knocks whenever they get a chance to bat. Dhoni and Raina are yet to be tested with the bat.
On the otherhand, the Indian seamers are exploiting the conditions well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been brilliant with the new ball and picks up an early wicket in every matches. The Seamers are well supported by the Spin Twins Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. As expected Ashwin is choking the run flow in the middle overs. Jadeja surprised everyone with his bowling skills and has picked up 10 Wickets and is second in the list of Leading Wicket Takers.
Batting and Bowling alone are not enough for a team’s success. Fielding is an integral part of a team’s success. The Indian fielding which is often criticized by skipper MS Dhoni has received thumbs up from the skipper himself and some former greats. The young fielders would have saved nearly 100 runs in the field in the previous matches. Last but not the least, The Indian Team is well led by their skipper MS Dhoni.
Player to watch-out for in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals:
Virat Kohli has had a quite tournament and was not given many chances by the openers to score some big runs. He used the opportunities that came his way. He will be ready to unleash against England.
MS Dhoni is a big match player who likes to perform well in big stages. He remains calm under pressure and has the knack of scoring big runs when it is needed the most. He will be crucial if India Chases the target set by England.
Possible Playing XI: Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli, Karthik, Dhoni, Raina, Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, Umesh, Ishant.
ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals Preview- England
Being the home team, a lot has been expected from England. Their fans are waiting for their team to win their first ever 50 Over ICC Tournament. They were expected to top the Group A which comprised of Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Their spirited performance against South Africa showed that the Poms are determined to win the tournament at their own backyard and get some much needed confidence going into the Ashes.
Their Batting has revolved around Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott. Cook gave England some good starts and Trott carried the good work till the end of the Innings. Joe Root’s performances should not be left behind as he binded their Innings together. Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara came up with some short little cameos at times. Jos Buttler looked completely out of sorts.
England’s main strength is their bowling. James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and James Tredwell worked well in tandem to win games for their teams. The bowling attack spearheaded by Anderson is capable of giving nightmares to any opposition. Anderson and Broad provides the early breakthroughs and Tredwell capitalised on them and controlled the run flow. Their fifth bowlers’ quota of 10 overs bowled by Bopara and Root can go for cleaners against the Indian batting line up.
England are a decent fielding unit with the likes of Morgan, Bell and Anderson. England is ahead of India only in the bowling bowling department and the onus is on Captain Cook to manage his resources well against the Inform Indian Batsmen.
Player to watch-out for in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals:
Alastair Cook, the skipper who has been in tremendous form will be hoping to get his eye in and return with a big knock. He has been successful against India in the past and it should be enough to motivate him.
James Anderson has been a vital cog in England’s wheel in this tournament. His spell will be crucial for England. He has used the home conditions well in the previous matches. With rain expected, Anderson remains the key for England.
Possible Playing XI: Cook, Bell, Trott, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Bopara, Broad, Finn, Tredwell, Anderson.
Author’s Prediction for ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals
The World number 1 team India were unbeaten in this tournament and has been involved in many Finals over the years. So there wont be any pressure on them. On the other hand, England are looking to win a major ICC 50 over tournament for the First Time in history. England are ahead of India only in the bowling department. So this clash will be tightly contested between Indian Batsman and English Bowlers. On current form India are a way better team than England. With the pitch expected to be flat and assisting spin, India should not have any problem in winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals and proving their haters why they are the number 1 side in the world.
The cricket World is set to witness the Champions Trophy for one last time and the fans are expecting the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Finals to be a cliffhanger.
