What’s the story?
Opener Jason Roy has backed England to cope with the absence of the injured Alex Hales for the final ODI against India at Eden Gardens. Pointing towards the squad, the 26-year old indicated that the visitors have enough firepower to replace his opening partner.
Roy said, “I've spent a lot of time with Hales and the work we do in the nets and all that sort of stuff. But we've got other options in our squad. That's what makes us so special I think. It's just a case of getting to know each other and I know everyone in the squad pretty well, so whoever I'm opening up with is not a problem. He'll just kind of fit straight in.”
On the prospect of opening the innings with Sam Billings, he felt, “We have batted together a couple of times. Played against each other a lot. He (Billings) is a fiery batsman, he's an awesome player. If he gets the role of number 2, that would be great. He's a great guy to bat with - runs hard, plays strong shots and that's exactly what we look for at the top of the order just to set the tone.”
In case you didn’t know...
Having been at the receiving end of two close losses, England took another major hit ahead of the third ODI when Hales was ruled out of the rest of the tour. The explosive right-hander had fractured his finger while attempting a catch in the second game in Cuttack. Wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow will take his place in the T20I squad.
The heart of the matter
England are currently 0-2 down in the 3-match series and will be eager to avoid a whitewash at the hands of a resurgent Indian team under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. With the 2017 Champions Trophy not too far away, Roy harped on the importance of using every game till then as ‘stepping blocks’ to the competition.
Billings is widely touted as the potential replacement for Hales, who has so far disappointed with scores of 9 and 14. Incidentally, he replaced the then injured Roy during the third ODI against Bangladesh last year and made an instant impact with a match-winning 69-ball 62.
What’s next?
Though he impressed with scores of 73 and 82 in the first two ODIs, Roy expressed disappointment at not reaching three-figures on both occasions. Reiterating the importance of going big on such batting-friendly pitches, he has set his sights on the final game in Kolkata as a chance to make amends. The match will begin tomorrow at 13:30 local time.
Sportskeeda’s Take
In Billings, England have a like-for-like attacking batsman, who can set the tone at the start of the innings. Even though Hales’ experience might be a bit tricky to replace, Roy’s statements do not come across as a surprise, considering the 25-year old’s huge potential. Indian bowlers certainly need to be at the top of their game to dislodge the new opening combination.
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