"Tujhe back spasm hee theek tha" - Top 10 funny memes as India struggle to reach 229/9 in 2023 World Cup clash vs England

Team India posted a total of 229 in their 2023 World Cup match against England on Sunday (October 29) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first in the contest on a dry surface. It proved to be the right call as the English pacers bowled well and triggered a top-order collapse of the Indian batting line-up. Under-fire England seamer Chris Woakes gave them the first breakthrough by cleaning up Shubman Gill (9) in the fourth over.

Virat Kohli then departed for a nine-ball duck after a miscued attempt to hit a big shot while charging at the bowler. Shreyas Iyer (4) once again got out by playing a horrible pull shot against a short-pitched length ball. Rohit Sharma (87) and KL Rahul (39) joined hands at 40/3 and stitched together a 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket to steady the ship.

After their dismissals, Suryakumar Yadav (49) and Jasprit Bumrah (16) provided India with handy contributions to take them to 229/9 in 50 overs. David Willey (3/45) was the star performer for England in the bowling department. Adil Rashid (2/35) and Chris Woakes (2/33) supported him with good performances.

Fans on social media enjoyed the first innings of the encounter between India and England. They reacted to the game by sharing hilarious memes on social media platforms.

Here are some of the best memes:

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"We're hopeful it'll get a little bit better to bat on" - English pacer Chris Woakes after restricting India to 229/9

At the mid-innings break, England bowler Chris Woakes reflected on the action that unfolded in the first innings:

"Nice to go off with the new ball. It's been a tough tournament for us and that's an area we needed to improve on. It's nice to get some rhythm today. It's always nice when you're in rhythm so you don't mind it (bowling in the humidity). We got a decent start and put them under pressure early on. I felt like I missed my lengths early on in the tournament, a bit uncharacteristic."

He added:

"Today, we found that rhythm and it helped. (Fielding) We always talk about fielding being an attitude thing. It really set the tone for us in the field in the first half. (Conditions) There's a bit of turn and is a bit two-paced pitch. I'm no expert but we're hopeful it'll get a little bit better to bat on. We would have taken that score at the start. So, hopefully, we can bat well and chase it down."

Do you think India have a chance to defend the low total against the defending champions? Sound off in the comments section.