Rishabh Pant replaces Vijay Shankar as England opt to bat against India

Birmingham: England won the toss and decided to bat first against India in their crucial World Cup game here on Sunday.

For India, Rishabh Pant was drafted in as Vijay Shankar picked up a toe niggle.

“Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle, Rishabh Pant is in. He brings in a lot of fearlessness. He has a small boundary. Once he gets to 20, then he’s unstoppable,” Kohli said at the toss.

On chasing, Kohli said: “Love chasing. But honestly we would have batted first today. We haven’t focused on the opposition in this tournament, that’s why we have been successful.”

For the hosts, who need to win their remaining two games after succumbing to back-to-back defeats, dashing opener Jason Roy made a comeback after an injury layoff. Seamer Liam Plunkett was also pencilled in for Moeen Ali.

“Tactical move to bring in Plunkett in place of Moeen. There could be a bit more pace and bounce. We are rejigged and reset as a team,” England captain Eoin Morgan said.

Playing XI:

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood

India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (captain), Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah. IANS

Published on: June 30, 2019 at 14:49 IST