How India can defeat England?

Today, June 14th, 2009, India will play a crucial, must-win match against England. India must win this match and the next one against South Africa in order to qualify for the semis. England also need to win this match in order to increase their chances of a berth in the semis. Considering this, this match is of astronomical importance for both teams.

If England Bat First: England have had many problems with their batting order. Their key batsman Kevin Pietersen is injured, while the other batsmen such as Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, and Collingwood are yet to post big scores against key opponents. Their bowling has been just a shade better than average. If India can get the wickets of Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara, and Pietersen early, then they have a strong chance of pulling off a big win. Indian bowlers have to bowl their hearts out against the Englishmen. The spinners will play a key role. Dhoni needs to use Harbhajan, Ojha, along with part-timers like Yuvraj and Raina effectively.
India must restrict England to a total of 140-150 runs at any cost. India should then try to reach the target within 17-18 overs in order to boost their Net Run Rate.

If India Bat First: India have a fine batting unit. It is upto Dhoni to utilize his batsmen properly. India need to score well during the powerplay. Gambhir should play the role of a sheet anchor and rotate the strike. Rohit, Yusuf, Yuvraj, and Raina need to score the runs for India. They have no other option but to score atleast 9+ runs an over as 170 is the par score in England. Dhoni has to drop himself down at no 6 or 7 and play his natural attacking game. Even if India loose early wickets, they have to keep attacking. Remember, no side has won a game by playing defensively and posting scores of 140-150. India need at least a total of 170-180 to win. It’s a literal Do-or-Die for Indian batsmen. They need to fire on all cylinders against England.

Indian bowlers need to get their line and length right. They need to go for wickets and not just containment. If India need to win convincingly, they need to get the wickets of Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, Luke Wright, and Kevin Pietersen early. The spinners will play a key-role. The onus would be on Harbhajan and Ojha to deliver. The seamers Zaheer and Ishant need to get early wickets.