ODI series vs India a chance to prepare: Morgan

Pune, March 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) England captain Eoin Morgan has said that the ODI series against India is an opportunity to build his side for the T20 World Cup later this year and grow the pool of players.

"We see the 50-over format ahead of the T20 World Cup as a building block for our squad. And that's not compromising on performance at all, we feel we have an extremely strong squad... so it will present opportunities for guys like that," said Morgan during media interaction.

"With the World Cup around the corner, playing any cricket is a huge opportunity for guys who have been here on the fringes and not made selection so far," he added.

"When you score runs or take wickets away from home there is always a huge incentive to try and push your case forward."

Morgan admitted that England have not been doing well in the ODIs since winning the 2019 World Cup. Since February 2020, they have won four and lost four One-dayers.

The level of consistency we've shown in 50-over cricket since the WC win has been average.

"Obviously, we have not had our strongest team together for quite some time since then given the amount of cricket we have played. So if we can show a level of consistency in our performance, it would be a huge step forward. And on top of that, grow our squad."

He said that playing in India would be a challenge but also an opportunity to get used to the conditions.

"In conditions that are a little bit alien to us, like in India, it's nice to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about your team and your players, to make mistakes and learn from them.

"Given a World Cup is around the corner, playing any cricket is a huge opportunity for guys who have been here on the fringes and not made the selection so far."

Source: IANS