Dehradun: In match number 14 of the Road Safety World Series 2022, India Legends will take on England Legends here at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on September 22.
It will be the first match for Sachin Tendulkar-led side in Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun. The first match of the Dehradun leg between New Zealand Legends and West Indies Legends was called-off without a ball being bowled due to rain on September 21.
India Legends’ previous match in the league stage against New Zealand was abandoned in Indore due to a wet outfield on September 19. Only 5.5 overs of the first innings in that game at Holkar Stadium were possible before the skies opened up, making the outfield damp and unfit for play.
Sachin Tendulkar-led side, which landed in Dehradun on September 20, will be eager to get on the pitch and play a complete game as two of their first three games have become a victim of rain.
Against England Legends, India Legends’ opening duo of Tendulkar and Naman Ojha will look for a solid start in the power play. The fans in Dehradun will be hoping for a rain-free contest and expect an entertaining knock from the master blaster, who was looking in sublime form against the Kiwi Legends the other night. Tendulkar’s vintage strokeplay against New Zealand reminded fans of the old days. Fans will be hoping for an even better knock from the batting maestro in Dehradun, where the hosts will play twice.
India’s middle-order comprises T20 specialists such as Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Stuart Binny and Yusuf Pathan – who were the heroes for India in the opening game. The middle-order batters will aim to put English bowlers under the pump in the middle overs to post a big total.
India’s bowling department looks balanced as it has a decent pace attack in Irfan Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel and Abhimanyu Mithun while the spin department looks equally good due to the presence of Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma. However, all these bowlers been out of action for quite some time due to no match practice for obvious reasons. It could be good news for English batters, should the Indian tweakers find themselves a little rusty.
Ian Bell-led England Legends, meanwhile, are coming on the back of a humiliating defeat against West Indies. Their opening duo of Mal Loye and Phil Mustard has failed to give the team a decent start in all the games. Getting a good start against Indian bowlers in the powerplay should be the first target for the Men in Red.
The middle order comprising players like Darren Maddy, Ian Bell and Rikky Clarke – who slammed a sublime fifty in the previous game – will hope to put up a brave show against the hosts. Clarke – who smashed a 25-ball 50 not out against WI and hit a couple of boundaries and five sixes – will aim to carry the momentum from the previous game.
For England’s spinner Stephen Parry it will be a dream come true moment as the left-arm tweaker from Lancashire had expressed his desire to bowl to legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how the all-rounder performs on the big occasion.
–IANS
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