The video of the hawan has now gone viral on social media.
Lucknow: Before the Indian team take the field against England in an ICC World Cup 2023 match in Lucknow at the Ekana Stadium, fans turn up in huge numbers to perform a havan or a fire ritual for the Men in Blue’s good performance against the defending champions.
The video has now gone viral on social media.
Fans from Varanasi perform Havan ahead of India’s match against England. pic.twitter.com/GjuiAncXs5
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 29, 2023
England captain Jos Buttler has won the toss and elected to bowl first against hosts India.
India come into the clash on the back of winning five matches on the trot and are firmly in the frame to reach the semi-finals. England, the defending champions, come into the match after suffering three consecutive losses in the competition, leaving their semi-final hopes hanging by a thread. Both teams are fielding unchanged teams from their respective previous clashes.
Buttler said the decision to bowl first was based on his gut call. “Not anything in particular, it’s a gut decision. It’s a great occasion and hopefully, today we bring our best. Today, we want to put up a good show. We haven’t done ourselves justice, today we want to put up a show and play for pride. Playing in front of a full crowd and against India, it’s a great occasion.”
It also means that India will be batting first for the very first time in the competition after acing five consecutive chases. Skipper Rohit Sharma said he wanted to bat first and that the team doesn’t mind it at all, in what will be the test of the Indian team in posting a total first.
“We had a good time batting second. It’s a new surface relaid here, and it plays well all through. So we don’t mind batting second. It’s important to get those two points and whatever it takes to do that, it takes. It’s always nice to have a break, you get the time to reflect where you stand,” he said.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (captain & wicketkeeper), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood
(With Inputs From IANS)