Kohli expects tough battle against high-flying England

India captain believes visitors will prove to be a sterner test for the Three Lions than Australia


Afp July 03, 2018
PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON: India will provide far stiffer opposition for England than Australia did when it was whitewashed 5-0 in a one-day series then thrashed in a Twenty20 match, captain Virat Kohli said Monday.

Kohli said his squad was expecting a tough battle against England in their upcoming three-match T20 series, which begins at Old Trafford on Tuesday, as well as in five Tests and three ODIs that will keep them in England until September.

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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 at his eve-of-match press conference. "We believe in our abilities, and we obviously have a lot of Twenty20 experience. We've just come off the IPL (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.

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"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," added the 29-year-old.

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 31-year-old Irishman. "I think you can use a lot of that, confidence and experience-wise.”

He added: "Having had a few days off and time to reflect on the series, it's something we can call upon -- and might need to in either series, the Twenty20 or the ODIs, when our backs are against the wall. I think it's important."

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