India Begin World Cup Build-Up Without Bumrah and Hardik
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India have begun preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup by starting what is being called their final lap of planning.
The team will play a limited-overs series against the West Indies, but two key players will not take part.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are both missing from the squad for this series.
Bumrah is known as one of India's best bowlers, while Hardik can both bat and bowl.
Their absence means India will need other players to step up during this important build-up period.
The West Indies team has said they are ready for a tough series against India.
West Indies batter Hope spoke about the upcoming matches and admitted his team is being careful.
He said India will present a serious challenge, even without their two star players.
The matches are One Day Internationals, known as ODIs, where each side bats once.
This series is seen as an early and important step on India's road to the 2027 World Cup.
Fans and experts will be watching closely to see how India performs without two of their most experienced players.
The result could give an early sign of how deep India's squad really is.
Cricket boards often use series like this to test new players before big tournaments.
The 2027 World Cup is still some time away, but teams are already starting to plan carefully.
With so much depending on preparation, every series before the tournament matters for team building.
Vocabulary8 words
- World Cup
- a very big contest between national teams
- series
- a group of matches played between two teams
- Jasprit Bumrah
- a well-known Indian fast bowler
- all-rounder
- a player skilled at both batting and bowling
- challenge
- a difficult task or contest
- Hope
- a West Indies cricket player
- One Day Internationals
- cricket matches between countries lasting one day
- squad
- the full group of players on a team
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Quiz
Answer key
1. The 2027 ODI World Cup 2. Bumrah and Hardik 3. As a serious challenge
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
India have begun preparations for the 2027 ODI _____ by starting what is being called their final lap of planning.
The team will play a limited-overs _____ against the West Indies, but two key players will not take part.
Fast bowler Jasprit _____ and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are both missing from the squad for this series.
Bumrah is known as one of India's best bowlers, while Hardik can both bat and _____.
The West Indies team has said they are ready for a tough _____ against India.
West Indies batter _____ spoke about the upcoming matches and admitted his team is being careful.
He said India will present a serious _____, even without their two star players.
The matches are One Day _____, known as ODIs, where each side bats once.
This series is seen as an early and important step on India's road to the 2027 _____.
The result could give an early sign of how deep India's _____ really is.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think teams start preparing so early for a World Cup?
- How important is it for a team to test new players before a big tournament?
- Do you think missing key players like Bumrah and Hardik will affect India's performance?
- What makes a cricket series 'important' in your opinion?
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