A look at India’s performances at England venues
With less than 10 days to go for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, all eyes will be on the Men in Blue as they head into the tournament as firm favourites. Led by Virat Kohli, Team India will be looking to add a third World Cup title to their kitty. The 15-member squad has a fine balance of youth and experience.
The Indian team will visit 6 grounds in England and Wales to play all their league matches. Let’s take a look at the team’s performances at these venues:
Ageas Bowl, Southampton
India will open their World Cup campaign on 5th June against South Africa at Southampton’s iconic Ageas Bowl stadium. They will return to face Afghanistan on 22nd June at the same venue. India’s only win in three matches here came against Kenya in 2004. Kohli’s men will be aware of their record at this ground and will hope to better it this time around.
Kennington Oval, London
India will play their second fixture against Australia on 9th June at the Kennington Oval in London. The Men in Blue have played 15 matches at this venue, the most at any ground in England. But, victory hasn’t come easy here. India have won just 5 matches here, while they’ve lost 9. One match has ended in No Result. The last time India played against Australia at this venue was in the 1999 edition. Australia won that match by 77 runs.
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
The Indian contingent will then move to Trent Bridge on 13th June to face New Zealand. Of the 7 matches played here, India have won 3. Though, India’s record against the Kiwis in England is extremely poor, losing all 3 games played against them in this country.
Old Trafford, Manchester
The most anticipated contest of the World Cup will be held at this venue on 16th June as India take on arch-rivals Pakistan. India haven’t played a single match at this ground since 2007. Of the 8 matches played, they’ve won 3. India last played against Pakistan here in 1999, where they won by 47 runs.
India will go on to face West Indies at the same venue on 27th June. It was at this stadium that both teams had faced off in the 1983 edition of the tournament. India won the league match back then.
Edgbaston, Birmingham
The Indian team has always loved playing at this venue the most, winning 7 of the 10 matches played. This year, they will play two matches here, taking on hosts England (30th June) first, followed by Bangladesh (2nd July). Their record against England has been impressive – 3 wins in 4 games. In 2017, India thrashed Bangladesh by 9 wickets at this venue.
Edgbaston is also special for the Indian team, as they’ve won 5 consecutive matches at this ground since 2013. Two of those wins came against Pakistan in the 2013 (8 wickets) and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy (124 runs).
Headingley, Leeds
Team India will conclude their league stage journey at Headingley on 6th July against Sri Lanka. This will be the first encounter between both teams at this venue. India have played 9 matches here and have won only 3 of them.
