Not feeling pressure, says Morgan

Eoin Morgan insists England won’t buckle under pressure against India, even though defeat would leave their World Cup dreams in serious danger.

Defeat to India -- unbeaten in the 2019 World Cup and now the top-ranked ODI side in the world -- would further damage England’s prospects and could take their fate out of their own hands ahead of the final round of games.

But Morgan is adamant they have regained their focus ahead of Sunday’s game at Edgbaston and their final match with New Zealand.

“We are handling it well,” he said. “We are in a lucky position, playing in a home World Cup for your country is a privileged position to be in.

“It presents a huge opportunity and if we win two games we are in the semi-finals and then if we win that then we are in the final. There is still a lot on the line and we are really looking forward to it.

“It is not worth thinking about losing. Mathematically there is still a chance if we lose but we want to win two and tomorrow is a huge priority.”

But India can also boast significant firepower, with the world’s top ODI bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, leading a potent attack. PHOTO: REUTERS/AFP

The advantage that hosting the World Cup brings is likely to go out of the window against India, with Morgan expecting a fervent support for the two-time winners. But the left-hander hopes local knowledge will tell, although England have struggled to adapt to surfaces so far. But Morgan is confident they can get the job done.

“The last time we played India we beat them in a series. This team has had success against them. We lost away in a tight series but we won here. We believe because we have won before,” he added.

“Where we have let ourselves down is adapting to conditions. It has been a bigger challenge in the World Cup than previous series we have played.

“We want to play on the best possible wicket. We always do. We bat deep and strong and we tend to play in high-scoring games so it is an area we are more comfortable playing in.”