Going into the 13th match of World Championship of Legends-2025, Champions of India were yet to taste victory, so they welcomed the Champions of England at the classic Headingley in Leeds on July 27, 2025. England was sent to bat by Yuvraj Singh.
Match Recap
It started off well for the bowlers as Mustard was dismissed for 1 with the score reading just 5. Both Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara formed a wonderful partnership that quickly brought momentum. Ian Bell scored 54 scintillating runs from 39 balls; he looked to rotate the strike and came down hard on any short and loose balls he got, before Harbhajan got the better of him in the 14th over. Bopara was certainly entertaining with his 110 runs off 55 balls which included 8 fours and 8 sixes. The late onslaught by Bopara along with a cameo of 25 off 15 by Moeen Ali in the last 3 overs took England to 223 for 3 in 20 overs.
Back went Yusuf Pathan, with a breezy, gutsy 52 off 29 balls, keeping the chase ticking through the middle overs. Binnystyle came shinning through with 35 off just 13, and that momentum was lost during the Powerplay. India scored just 35/2 in 6 overs.
Ajmal Shahzad took the limelight, with his bowling choking India rampant, with figures of 4. Harbhajan Singh was the stand-in with 2/18 from 3 overs, but otherwise, they couldn’t maintain their grip. India, meanwhile, fell short by 23 runs with 200 for 8, remaining winless in the tournament.
Eoin Morgan described it as “a perfect game”, referring to Bopara’s innings as one of great skill coupled with brilliance of bowling. India face an elimination game: they need to beat West Indies in their final league match if they want to keep any faint hope of reaching the semis alive.
England champions keep themselves alive now for a semis berth, and will now have to see how the India’s versus West Indies game pans out to ascertain their fate.
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