World Cup 2019: 3 key battles to watch out for when India take on England

After a number of one-sided contests, the 2019 World Cup has come to life with a number of closely fought encounters. England losing two games on the trot and Pakistan winning two consecutive games has suddenly opened up the contest.

Teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who were given no chance before the World Cup are still in contention for a semi-final spot. There are some really important games coming up but none more important than England taking on India.

England are under some pressure after losing two games and would desperately want to win this one. India, on the other hand, have a score to settle after losing the ODI series to the hosts in 2018.

With the top two ranked teams set to be locked in the main battle, there are always small battles to watch out for. Here, we have a look at three such key battles which could decide the game.

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#3 Jasprit Bumrah vs Jonny Bairstow

Jasprit Bumrah's opening spell to Jonny Bairstow will be fun to watch

The battle between a new ball bowler and an opening batsman is always fun to watch. Jasprit Bumrah is the No.1 ODI bowler in the world right now and he is bowling with some serious pace. It's just not the pace but the line and length which he is hitting, that makes him a class apart and is hard to tackle.

Jonny Bairstow, on the other hand has not had a great run in the tournament. Famous for his quick hundreds, the aggression has been missing from his batting this tournament and the opener has also been dismissed for a duck on two occasions.

He will be itching to perform well against India and help his team steady their claim for a spot in the semifinals. But it won't be easy for that man while Bumrah comes at his with the new ball. Bairstow is an attacking batsman by nature so it will definitely be fun when Bairstow and Bumrah come face to face on Sunday.

#2 Yuzvendra Chahal vs Joe Root

Joe Root was outstanding against the wrist-spinners in 2018

The Indian wrist-spinners have been thei side's main weapon in the middle-overs. Yuzvendra Chahal has been in great form in this World Cup as he has picked up 10 wickets in five games.

With the pitch at Edgbaston turning square when New Zealand and Pakistan played there, Chahal won’t mind if a similar sort of pitch is dished out. However, one of the main threats to Chahal will be the form of Joe Root, who is England's leading run-scorer.

In the last two games in the 2018 series, Joe Root scored two hundreds and he is in tremendous form in the World Cup as well. Overall, in ODI cricket, Root is England's best batsman against India, with 684 runs from 17 matches at an average of 57.00.

Yet, Chahal is a smart bowler who tends to vary his lengths in order to fox the batsmen and the battle between the duo will be one to look out for.

#1 Jofra Archer vs Virat Kohli

Jofra Archer wants to get the wicket of Virat Kohli

When Jofra Archer was quizzed about the one wicket he wants the most, he was quick to respond and said "Virat Kohli". Undoubtedly, when India and England face off this Sunday, Jofra Archer will hold the 'X-factor' with his pace and zip off the surface.

More importantly, Archer is the second highest wicket taker with 16 wickets in seven games and will hold the key for England against a star-studded Indian batting line-up.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has been in great form. Kohli has four consecutive half-centuries in this World Cup and with both the stars hitting their peak at the current moment, the prospect of the two squaring off is certain to be a mouth-watering affair.

With India almost through to the semifinals and England needing to win all of their remaining games, Kohli and Archer will have important roles to dictate the outcome of the game.