If not for the discipline on the roads, it would be hard to determine on Sunday (today) if Birmingham is a city in England or India. Close to 27 percent of the city’s population is from Asia, and they will ensure to make their presence felt at Edgbaston. The Pakistanis already did that in the game against New Zealand, raising decibel levels to record levels in an otherwise quiet part of the world, and the Indians will take it up even further when their team faces hosts England. It’s likely that England will have to look at India’s orange jerseys to remind themselves that they are the home side. These factors might or might not affect the cricket, but something very ‘Asian’ about Edgbaston will definitely play a big part. The pitch. England are already concerned about the slowness of pitches; they’re rueing that Trent Bridge and Lord’s were very different from what they’ve used to in the last two years. Edgbaston could be their stiffest challenge – in terms of conditions, and more importantly opposition quality. India’s is the most complete and in-form bowling attack this tournament. They would be even more potent if the pitch is slow. Only one of their bowlers is in the top 10 wicket-takers’ list, Yuzvendra Chahal at 10 with 10 wickets from five games. But Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are all in the list of most economical bowlers, showing it’s been a combined effort from them all. No wonder Kuldeep calls it a ‘complete attack’. India’s problem is their middle order’s dependency on the top order. KL Rahul has not converted starts, Vijay Shankar has not used a couple of opportunities and could be under the scanner, Kedar Jadhav has not looked convincing and MS Dhoni has, well, been MS Dhoni. The questions around No. 4 continue — there are no signs of end to it. Their position in the table might tempt them to give Vijay one more go — Virat Kohli at the press conference said the team is confident that Vijay is not far from a bigger knock. But given they’re playing England, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant makes it. If conditions help, India could also play three spinners bringing in Ravindra Jadeja. It’s an unlikely scenario though given the number of left-handers in the England line up. Kohli revealed that Bhuvneshwar is ‘recovering fast’, which means he is not a starter for Sunday. The bowling attack might not miss him given how Mohammed Shami has stepped up, although the length of the tail puts the onus squarely on the batsmen. The venue has hosted two matches this World Cup so far, and there’s already evidence that it’s slow and sluggish. South Africa posted only 241 for 6 in the first game, against New Zealand. New Zealand themselves then scored only 237 for 6 against Pakistan. The chasing side won on both occasions, but that was only down to the brilliance of two centurions – Kane Williamson and Babar Azam. So England shouldn’t be ‘surprised’ if a similar situation unfolds on Sunday. More so because Edgbaston has not been a batting paradise even outside of the World Cup. Over 14 ODIs in the last three years, only once has a team posted above 300 here. That was India themselves, against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2017. The good news is that the pitch for Sunday’s game is a fresh one — not expected to be as slow as the previous games. The sun has been shining bright in Birmingham too, and batsmen could actually have a good time. England have won their last nine matches — across formats – at this venue. The better news for England is that they have their fate in their hands. Beat India and New Zealand, qualify to the semifinal without external help. Win one, then cross fingers for a few results to go your way. Lose both, go out. The bad news is England are up against the only side that’s yet to lose a game. India too haven’t technically qualified yet, but it’s very unlikely they won’t with three league games remaining. England’s batting has let them down in the last two games, but their bowlers have not done much wrong. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are in the list of top wicket takers, with 16 and 13 scalps respectively. Archer had a side strain before the previous match and didn’t bowl in the nets on Friday, although he took part in the fielding drills. Given the importance of Sunday’s game, he is likely to start. Jason Roy is back to batting in the nets too, and will in all likelihood take his opening position. James Vince has struggled to fill in, and it’s an easy straightforward swap. It’s no secret that England’s batsmen will enjoy if the pitch is true. Joe Root has two tons, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Roy have one each. It’s how they adapt if the conditions waver from the norm, and how they cope with the pressure of a near knockout that will determine their fate. Squads from: England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.