• Source:JND
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Talismanic batter Virat Kohli was full of praise for England cricket stalwards ahead of the ODI World Cup clash on Sunday. Defending champions England, who are placed last at the bottom of the points table, will look to earn their 2nd win in the tournament as they the only undefeated team in the tournament.

England is currently facing an uphill battle in the ICC Cricket World Cup, ranking ninth on the points table with only one win in five matches. Their chances of qualifying for the semifinals have dwindled significantly. To stay in contention, they must secure victory in their remaining four matches and also rely on other teams' results.

In anticipation of their crucial match, Kohli expressed his desire to face the pace of England's Mark Wood, perhaps as a personal challenge and a test of his skills. As England seeks to revive their World Cup campaign, they are set to face the formidable Indian team with their own aspirations of reaching the semifinals.

“Mark Wood, I have played against Mark Wood. I think he is a great bowler, he has skillset to trouble the batsmen, so I would like to test myself against real pace,” said Virat Kohli on Star Sports.

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Kohli also named Adil Rashid and called him 'underrated and challenging.

“Adil Rashid is a very underrated bowler and he has been doing amazingly well for England, a very challenging bowler that I am looking forward to play against,” said Kohli.

The batting maestro boasts an impressive record against spinner Rashid Khan in ODIs. With an average of 70.66 against Rashid, he has only been dismissed by him three times in the format. The 34-year-old player also praised Joe Root's skills, particularly his reverse slap shot, expressing his desire to replicate such shots in the future.

“Joe Root is a great all round, the way he plays the reverse slap, I would like to take that shot,” Kohli added.

The team has been training rigorously in Lucknow for the past two days, aiming to maintain their winning momentum as they head into Sunday's match.