Facing Ashwin, Jadeja will always be a challenge: Eoin Morgan

On the eve of the first ODI against India, the English skipper Eoin Morgan spoke at length about how the team is preparing itself for the series. He mentioned that there are not many players in the dressing room who have toured India before. This is surely a challenge that the team is looking up to.

He also had a word on the Indian spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both the spinners wreaked havoc in the Tests against England a month ago. Morgan is wary of the challenges that lies ahead but is keen on putting up a good show. In an interaction with the reporters, he remarked that playing Ashwin and Jadeja will always be a challenge in Indian conditions.

He said that it is analogous to playing swing bowlers in England. “It’s always going to be a challenge. It’s like coming to England and facing swing bowling. Playing anybody in their home conditions is a challenge and how you adapt to that and how you negotiate that I think can determine where a game is won or lost,” said Eoin Morgan.

One more headache for Morgan as a skipper is of the selection conundrums. England might have the problem of plenty for the first time on the tour. In the two warm up matches that they played, Sam Billings and Jonny Bairstow, both played crucial knocks at the number 3 slot. However, with Joe Root joining the English side, it is very unlikely that both of them will play. Moreover, they will have to vacate the number 3 spot for Root.

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Commenting on this, the English skipper quoted, “I think it’s great to have those guys in form. For the last couple of years, our batting unit as a whole has been extremely strong. It wouldn’t say it’s well set, but it is a very difficult unit to get into. Everybody has performed at some stage over the last two years, and when they have done, they’ve contributed in series wins, majority of the time, particularly the batters. Like I say to the guys who always miss out ‘you gotta take the chance when it comes, and when it comes it, just make the most of it’. So it’s great that they’re in form and it gives us a wide selection option to choose from.”

Many cricket pundits have been tagging the England limited-overs setup as a ‘fearless’ unit. Eoin Morgan did not stick to the same word but reflected that the team is concerned about playing their natural game. They do not think too much about the opposition or the other players. They stick to their game plans on the given day.

“I would just like to think we like to play in our own way. The group of players that we have are very outgoing, very expansive and very explosive, and do what they say they’re going to do, they can stick to their natural game which is quite an aggressive game. Trying to be somebody else or trying to be a different team doesn’t work for us. We try to be ourselves and be comfortable within our skins. and I think that has worked,” he conceded.