‘We will test them’: Ben Duckett warns Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli ahead of ODI series | Cricket News
New Delhi: Opening Game Ben Duckett It is believed that England will not hesitate to test India’s senior batsmen with the short ball if they feel it is the right tactic, although the visitors know that this challenge will be very different from the one they faced in their 4-0 T20I sweep.England’s back-to-back bouncers have rattled India’s young batting line-up in T20Is, including Abhishek SharmaVaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan Targeted repeatedly. Asked if the same strategy could be used against the returning ODI stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat KohliDuckett suggested England would remain flexible rather than abandon the idea entirely.“We’ll test them. If they’re very good at (playing the short ball), we might not use that strategy as much. But to be honest, I’m not sure, if we find that it works, we might as well continue with it,” Duckett said in reply to a question posed by TOI during an interaction on the eve of the opening ODI. “Of course, our plans as a bowling body will have the leadership of Brooke (Harry Brooke) as the rallying point. “Adding to India’s experienced ODI batting line-up, Duckett knows the English batsmen must be at their best when facing India Jasprit Bumrah. The southpaw, who has faced India only in Test cricket, admitted that the requirements of the 50-over format make the game a completely different proposition.“(Bumrah) doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses,” Duckett said. “(Against Bumrah) it depends on whether the ball swings or swings less. Obviously, he can swing the ball both ways at close to 90 miles an hour, so hopefully it will be clear and there are no clouds and the ball won’t swing as much. That will be very helpful.”“I think India are going to use bowlers of his type throughout the entire innings, trying to take wickets at any point and we are going to have to try and fight against that. I’ve only faced him in Test cricket, where you don’t end up looking for quick runs. There is no pressure to score runs, and in 50-over cricket you can’t expect to survive in front of him. You still have to find a way to score off him. But I think our guys are good enough to face him and everyone is going to have a different plan for him,” Duckett added.Despite England’s huge success in T20Is, Duckett was quick to point out that the ODI series will be a completely different test.“Obviously, this is a different Indian team than the T20Is. They have brought in a lot of quality players, so we know it’s going to be a very tough challenge. But a lot of us are playing well, so we’re optimistic about our chances,” Duckett said.However, the England opener added that the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will not change England’s approach. “Both (Virat and Rohit) are incredible players but I don’t think we need to change our team dynamic significantly. We have to stick to what we do and try to be better than them. Ultimately, when we go out there, we won’t be afraid of anyone.”(This interaction was facilitated by Sony Sports)
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