Rishabh Pant playing in today’s match vs England: Plentiful Indian fans had expressed their desire of watching Pant play over Shankar today.
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During the 38th match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between England and India at Edgbaston, India have rested all-rounder Vijay Shankar due to a toe niggle. The unfortunate development was announced by captain Virat Kohli during the toss.
It was England captain Eoin Morgan who won the toss and chose to bat. England have been bolstered by the return of opening batsman Jason Roy. The hosts have also included fast bowler Liam Plunkett as a “tactical” change. Opening batsman James Vince and all-rounder Moeen Ali have been benched for the all-important match.
“It’s a matter of two games, hopefully we’ll win the two games and go through. Tough challenge against India. [Liam Plunkett inclusion] is more tactical. The wicket looks good, doesn’t look like it’ll turn much. [Jason Roy] is not a big risk. He’s trained well and he’s fit to play. It is a test of our character. We spoke as a group, rejigged and reset what we’re trying to do,” Morgan was quoted as saying during the toss.
Rishabh Pant playing in today’s match vs England
Having successfully defended total in the tournament so far, Kohli said that even India wanted to bat first. “Never a problem, love chasing. But honestly, would have batted first as well. We haven’t chased after the first game, so it’s a good challenge for us.
“We might have looked to do that in the last couple of games anyway. We haven’t really focused on the opposition till now in the tournament. We’ve been finding ways to win games, that’s the biggest positive for us,” Kohli said.
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Speaking about Pant, Kohli highlighted the southpaw’s forte of going after the opposition bowlers and being unstoppable on his day.
“Vijay Shankar has a bit of a toe niggle, Rishabh Pant comes in for him. We’ve all seen what he can do with the bat. He’ll bring a lot of flair and fearlessness, once he gets going, he’s difficult to stop. There’s one short boundary as well. Crunch result on the outside as well, so I’m sure the fans of the Pakistan team will be supporting us today,” Kohli concluded.
