ODI World Cup 2023: England's strongest predicted playing XI against India

Defending champions England (ENG) and hosts India face each other in the 2023 ODI World Cup on Sunday, October 29 in Lucknow.

The two teams have had contrasting campaigns thus far. While India have won all the five matches they have played, England have only won a solitary game out of five so far in the 10-team tournament. Jos Buttler will have to find answers to the various questions that have popped up during the course of their four defeats in the marquee event.

Here's England's Predicted XI against India:

Openers: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan

Jonny Bairstow is one of the most dangerous openers in world cricket. His career strike rate of 103.39 underlines his destructiveness at the top of the order. However, like most of his teammates, Bairstow has not lived up to his potential in the ongoing World Cup. In five games, he has scored 127 runs at 25.40. England will hope for a turnaround and if Bairstow can give an explosive start at the top, it will give the batters in the dressing room a lot of confidence.

Dawid Malan scored a brilliant 140 against Bangladesh but has been able to accumulate just 80 runs in the rest of the four matches. He has got a few starts but has not been able to convert them into anything of substance. England will hope to see Malan returning to his best against India's fearsome bowling attack.

Middle Order: Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (C, WK)

Joe Root started the tournament with a couple of fantastic fifties against England and Bangladesh. However, in the next three games, he has registered scores of 11, 2, and 3. Root's form is vital for England as he has the ability to drop anchor and allow the big hitters to bat around him.

Ben Stokes missed the first three matches due to a hip niggle but returned in the game against South Africa. He was dismissed cheaply by Kagiso Rabada but he was England's top scorer in their most recent game against Sri Lanka. Stokes scored 43 off 73 in the one-sided contest and was the only English batter who tried to battle it out in the middle while wickets were falling like nine pins from the other end.

Jos Buttler has scored just 95 runs in the five matches he has played. The skipper has a lot of experience facing the Indian bowlers owing to his time in the Indian Premier League and if he gets going, he can change the course of the game in quick time.

Also check: Most runs in ODI World Cup 2023

All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey

Liam Livingstone has had a forgettable campaign thus far, scoring just 31 runs in four games at an average of 7.75 and a striker rate of 72.09. With the ball, he has picked up a couple of wickets. Livingstone is another player who can demolish any bowling attack but he has looked woefully out of nick.

Moeen Ali has played just a couple of matches so far in the tournament. He has scored 26 runs and has gone wicketless. Moeen can be a handful in Lucknow as the pitch is expected to favour the spinners and he has had a good record against India. The southpaw is also a good player of spin and can contribute with the bat as well.

Chris Woakes was dropped for the game against South Africa but replaced Gus Atkinson to play the previous game. Woakes' inability to pick wickets with the new ball has been a huge worry for England. He has also conceded runs at an economy rate of 6.88 and has just picked two wickets in four games. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will look to put the right-arm seamer under pressure. How the Birmingham-born counters the onslaught will be interesting to see. He has scored only 34 runs with the bat so far.

David Willey has just played two matches so far in the tournament. He picked up a couple of wickets against Sri Lanka in the previous game. India have had some problems in the past against left-arm seamers and Willey will hope to put them to the test on Sunday.

Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Adil Rashid has blown hot and cold in the World Cup so far. He has picked up six wickets in five games at 38.50. His best figures of 3/42 came in a losing cause against Afghanistan. Rashid should get help from the surface and if he can bowl consistently in the good areas, he could cause some problems.

Mark Wood is known for giving his 100 percent on the field and bowling as fast as possible. There has been no shortage of effort but it hasn't translated into much success. In five games, Wood has just picked up three wickets at an average of 77.67 and an economy rate of 6.66. His performance in the middle overs will be crucial to England's chances.

Also check: ODI World Cup 2023 Most wickets