It's fair to say that patriotism was floating in the air more than oxygen at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29 as Indian fans sang Vande Mataram with full enthusiasm during the clash between the hosts and England.
The mid-match light show that has become an essential feature in the ongoing marquee tournament witnessed Vande Mataram reverberate at full intensity at Ekana as the Indian fans enjoyed the moment and supported the Men in Blue in their demolition job of England's batting order.
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The first half of the game was dominated to a major extent by the English bowlers as they reduced India to 229 for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs. However, the Indian bowlers fought back hard in the second innings of the match and helped the hosts claw back into the contest.
The Three Lions got off to a cautious start as Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan tried to get a feel of the wicket early on but the wicket of Malan triggered a batting collapse that saw the defending champions suffer their biggest World Cup loss at the hands of India.
India's bowling attack looked potent and it was the ever-so-reliable Jasprit Bumrah who began taking the English batters down with the new ball. He got rid of Malan on the fifth delivery of the fifth over and also trapped Joe Root plumb in front of his stumps on the following delivery to rattle England's run chase.
Mohammed Shami paired up with Bumrah and picked up from where he had left off in the game against New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala. Shami got the big wickets of Ben Stokes and Bairstow and gave India the upper hand in the contest.
