“Winning a T20I series in India would be something massive to have under our belts” - Jason Roy
England opener Jason Roy has admitted that winning a T20I series in India will be huge, especially with the T20 World Cup to be held in the country later in the year.
The five-match T20I series is level at two games apiece. India batted first in the fourth T20I and posted 185 on the board. The hosts went on to win the game by eight runs, breaking the trend of chasing sides winning matches in the series.
Speaking to the host broadcaster ahead of the final T20I in Ahmedabad, Jason Roy said:
“It’s a must-win game against our top rivals. They are the biggest team we come across in the rankings. They are a very talented side with a lot of firepower. So, for us to come to India and, potentially win a T20 series, is something that would be massive to have under our belts.”
He also added that the T20I series in India has been a great learning curve for England ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“Playing in a must-win game is something everyone wants to do as a professional sportsman. You want to play in these huge occasions. That’s exactly what today is. Should stand us in good stead for later on in the year (T20 World Cup),” Jason Roy added in the interview posted on bcci.tv.
It would have been a comfortable chase if one of our batters had got 80: Jason Roy
The 30-year-old Jason Roy has scored three 40s in four matches in the ongoing series. While he has got the team off to terrific starts, the right-hander hasn’t converted any of his knocks into big scores. Speaking about the same, Jason Roy said:
“There’s an element of getting the team off to a good start. But there’s also like I should have gone to 80-90 or a hundred to stamp your authority on games, especially when you are chasing a score like 180. It would have been a comfortable chase if one of our batters had got 80. But it’s a must-win game today, so that’s exciting.”
England won the toss and asked India to bat first in the final T20I. Speaking ahead of the match, Jason Roy termed 170-180 as the par score for the team batting first.
“170-180 seems to be the par score on these wickets. The pitches have changed a little bit over the course of the last couple of games. The pitch the other night did not change a huge amount. So, as a batsman, you have got to keep assessing ball by ball.”
While England went unchanged into the final T20I game, the hosts dropped KL Rahul and brought in left-arm pacer T Natarajan.