"It has been an extremely productive tour so far" - Eoin Morgan

Despite losing the T20I series a few days ago, England skipper Eoin Morgan has called their India tour a productive one. Morgan feels the experience gained from playing in India will stand them in good stead for the T20 World Cup to be played here later in the year.

England’s red-ball side was trounced by India 3-1 in the four-match Test series, while their white-ball side was edged 3-2 in the five-match T20I series.

England will now wrap up the tour with a three-match ODI series in Pune, starting on Tuesday. Ahead of the series, Eoin Morgan spoke to the media in a virtual press conference on Monday and was asked whether the ODI series offers them a chance to end their tour on a high.

“Not necessarily. I think even though we didn’t pick up the trophy the other day, we learnt a huge amount. It has been an extremely productive tour so far for those of us playing white-ball cricket," replied Eoin Morgan.

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Eoin stopped short of classifying success and failure in terms of absolute results. He admitted that losing is never desirable, but he was also keen to look at the bigger picture with a T20 World Cup on the horizon.

“With England, the bigger picture always being the World Cup, you don’t always have to win every series to win the World Cup. You continuously need to get better. You need to get tested as a side, you need to fail in order to learn and that involves losing. It isn’t fun but it is part of the journey.”

Eoin Morgan keen to continue learning with the ODI series

ICYMI: Our squad to face India in our final three matches of the winter 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏏

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With England keeping an eye on the Ashes and the T20 World Cup later this year, many have questioned the importance of playing ODIs right now. Although 50-over cricket is not the priority now, Morgan looks forward to getting a few more white-ball games under his belt in India and learning more about his team in the process.

“I think trying to envisage where 50-over cricket is going to be in three years is quite difficult. So, the challenge for us is always trying to explore and push the limits as much as we can, given the conditions. I think the conditions that are a little bit alien to us naturally, like in India, it is always nice to come out of your comfort zone and learn more about your team, your players, to try and make mistakes and learn from them.”

Eoin Morgan also stressed on the importance of facing a top team like India. England and India are ranked first and second respectively in the ODI rankings, and Eoin Morgan is aware of the benefits of playing the formidable outfit.

“When you are one of the top-ranked teams playing against another top-ranked team, there is always a lot at stake. I think when you play against a really strong team and come out of it productive with runs, wickets or results, it does help your confidence.”

Eoin Morgan and Co. will get a chance to end the series on a high when they take on India in Pune. The India vs England ODI series opener takes place on March 23, as England seek to win an ODI series in India for the first time since 1984.