| ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup: England v India |
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| Venue: Edgbaston Date: Sunday, 30 June |
| Coverage: Live Test Match Special radio and text commentary on every match on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra & BBC Sport website, plus desktop, tablets, mobiles and app. |
Jason Roy will return to the England team for Sunday’s crucial game against India if he gets through training unscathed, says captain Eoin Morgan.
Opener Roy, who hit 153 in his last innings against Bangladesh, missed England’s defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia with a torn hamstring.
Defeat against India could further damage England’s semi-final hopes.
“Jason is preparing to play provided he gets through today’s practice unscathed,” said Morgan.
Roy has been central to England’s white-ball successes at the top of the order and will have a fitness test alongside bowler Jofra Archer, who is also rated as touch and go with a side strain.
Morgan, however, cautioned that Roy will not play if the risk of further injury is too great.
“It depends on the significance of the risk,” he said. “If it’s going to rule him out long-term, absolutely not. If it’s a couple of weeks, yes.”
If Pakistan beat Afghanistan in Saturday’s match at Headingley, England will go into the game knowing a loss would take their fate out of their own hands.
Their final match is against New Zealand at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
The expectation is that Sunday’s pitch at Edgbaston will suit India’s spin bowlers and negate the effectiveness of England’s aggressive strokemakers.
However, BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew told Morgan that England director of cricket Ashley Giles – a former Warwickshire player and coach – declared the pitch the best he has seen at this World Cup.
“That’s great news if it is,” said Morgan. “It’ll just be down to performance then, and our best game lends itself to an expressive and expansive performance.
“It allows us not to fight our natural game and just play.”
Speaking about the challenges of playing on low-scoring pitches in the World Cup, Morgan added: “It has been a different challenge but our performance hasn’t been up to scratch.
“It will have to be tomorrow to beat India.”
Kohli ‘surprised’ by England’s struggles
India captain Virat Kohli, meanwhile, says he is surprised at England’s struggles.
Kohli’s side has been dominant in the round-robin group stage – winning all of their completed matches and being the only undefeated team left in the competition.
“Everyone is surprised,” said Kohli. “We thought England were probably going to dominate in their own conditions.
“But I said at the beginning of the tournament, pressure is going to be a massive factor.”
England have lost their last two matches, against Sri Lanka and Australia, while they were also beaten by Pakistan earlier in the competition.
After going into the tournament rated as the best one-day international side in the world, they now need to win their final two group stage matches, against India and New Zealand, to progress to the semi-finals.
If they slip up, that could allow Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka to qualify at their expense.
Since their loss to Australia, England’s Jonny Bairstow has criticised the media – suggesting journalists are “waiting for you to get that loss, so they can jump on your throat”.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan responded by saying Bairstow’s comments were “negative and pathetic”.
“Other teams have outplayed England on occasions, that can happen to any side,” added Kohli. “England have to sort out their own issues I guess.
“The more basic you can keep things at a tournament like a World Cup, the better.
“The more you attach emotion or excitement to it the more you put too much pressure to a situation.”
