Eoin Morgan bullish over England chances against India in ODI series

Eoin Morgan is confident England can deal with the unfamiliar and heightened white-ball challenge India are sure to pose this month.

Morgan’s England could hardly be approaching three Vitality IT20s and three one-day internationals in any better heart after their 6-0 whitewash of Australia across the limited-overs formats. However, the captain knows from personal and collective experience that India present a far different test to the one mustered this summer by a depleted Australia.

Among those set to provide the hosts with plenty more to ponder is leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – who took a career-best six for 25 as England suffered an alarming collapse of eight wickets for eight runs to lose by 75 the last time they ran into him.

Eight of the team likely to face Chahal again at Old Trafford on Tuesday were in the one bamboozled by him in the T20 at Bangalore last year. Morgan acknowledges the examination ahead, but has faith that in-form England will adapt effectively.

He said: “When you play against sub-continent teams, it normally exposes sides like us and South Africa and Australia to spin, reverse swing – different challenges to that we are normally used to. But we are in the middle of our summer and we have played a lot of cricket. I hope we will be able to deal with it.

“If you focus on one or two of them, say the spinners, it’s more than likely it’s the seamers who will actually go and get the wickets. They are a strong side and have other components to their game ... it’s going to be a difficult challenge.”

Virat Kohli meanwhile is already busy deflecting the pressure of expectation as he once again enters the final frontier of his world domination.

India captain Kohli is indisputably a modern great across all formats, with supporting statistics such as 56 international centuries, averages above 50 in Tests and ODIs and one only marginally below in 59 Twenty20s to date.

Yet in England he has previously endured some of his leanest spells. Most conspicuously in India’s last Test tour here four years ago, he could average only 13.4 in 10 innings during a 3-1 series defeat under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. But if he does therefore feel he has a point to prove, he is not acknowledging the fact publicly.

“Surprisingly or funnily enough, I don’t think (about it) from fans’ or outside point of view,” said Kohli. “Even when we came here for the Champions Trophy [last summer], that was the first question that was asked, and my reply was I am just looking forward to having a good time here.

“It doesn’t matter whether I get runs or don’t get runs, what I want is the team to play well and the team to win. Obviously you want to perform as an individual, but I haven’t set any benchmarks or targets and come here to do certain things which have to be special just because the last tour here I came on didn’t go well.”​