England vs India: Eoin Morgan highlights winning ODI series as more important than top ODI rank

England are currently ranked number in ODIs as they have been stupendous over the last three years, especially after their 2015 World Cup Debacle in Down Under. They are currently playing a three-match ODI series against India. Following a dismal performance at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, Eoin Morgan and Co came back to beat their rivals in a thrilling contest at Lord’s in London.

The final encounter will now be played at Headingley in Leeds on July 17. India needed to clean sweep the Brits in order to claim the apex ODI ranking at the end of the series. However, owing to their defeat in the previous match, the Men in Blue will finish second in the rankings even if they win the last match and the series. Meanwhile, the English skipper sounded more focused on winning the series.

This winner-takes-all game

”Totally, totally. They are a really strong side, like you’ve seen at times today and particularly at Trent Bridge, So to beat them in a series would be quite significant, confidence-wise it would be quite significant,” Morgan was quoted as saying by the media while highlighting the importance of beating Virat Kohli and Co.

He also hailed Kuldeep Yadav, who has been a thorn in the flesh in England’s power-packed batting lineup. “This winner-takes-all game, it’s brilliant. Having a game like this is crucial for us. It’s a significant game on Tuesday. Kuldeep [Yadav] might bowl really well again, [Umesh] Yadav might bowl well. We’ve got to give yourself that chance to play well,” he iterated.

Kuldeep is presently the leading wicket-taker in the series with nine wickets in the two matches. The Poms would be hoping to play him out and not give him enough wickets in the final ODI. ”We started better against him and the more we face him obviously the easier he got to pick. But you’ve got to play him well still,” he added.

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