Captain Virat Kohli insists Team India will pose a difficult challenge to England as compared to what the hosts faced against Australia recently
India pacer Umesh Yadav during a training session yesterday
India will provide far stiffer opposition for England than Australia did when it was whitewashed 5-0 in a ODI series then thrashed in a T20 match, Indian captain Virat Kohli said yesterday.
Kohli said his squad was expecting a tough battle against England in their upcoming three-match T20 series, which begins at Old Trafford today, as well as in five Tests and three ODIs that will keep them in England until September.
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Virat Kohli
While England impressed against Australia, the tourists were without a raft of first choice players including former captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner, who are serving one-year bans for their roles in March's ball tampering scandal. "We definitely are," Kohli said when asked whether India had a stronger outfit than Australia.
"We believe in our abilities, and we have a lot of T20 experience. We've just come off the Indian Premier League and a couple of games against Ireland as well — where the team has looked great." Kohli, who scored 455 runs in 11 limited overs matches in the 2017-18 season, expects a confident England to burst out of the blocks.
"We expect England to come hard at us, and we certainly want to play some positive and hard-fought cricket," said Kohli. "It's going to be an exciting series, and we believe we have the side to put up a great fight — and if we win the crucial moments then anything can happen," he added.
His England counterpart Eoin Morgan said regardless of Australia's side being under-strength, his side had come out of it with many positives to take into the India series.
"I don't think it's a case of putting [victory over Australia] to one side when there are huge positives to take from the series," said the Irishman.
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