Ahmedabad: England opening batsman Jason Roy on Monday said he is pretty confident that the side would make a comeback in the third T20I against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Roy has been in good form in the ongoing T20I series against India as he has recorded scores of 49 and 46 in the first two matches. The series currently stands level at 1-1 after India won the second T20I by seven wickets.
"I am very confident that we can bounce back. India is a class team, but the way we started the series in the first game, was a bit more comprehensive than what they gave us last night. I think going into the third game, we are full of confidence, in the last eight overs of our batting yesterday, we found it a bit difficult, we are a fast learning side so I am confident that we will bounce back," said Roy during a virtual press conference on Monday.
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"I learnt that I am staying on my shots a little bit more. You saw a couple of my reverse sweeps, I missed some of the balls but I rectified it during the course of my innings and it is just a pitch where you have to pick your bowler. Unfortunately, the bowler I picked got me out, Washington was the guy I was looking to target, unfortunately, it did not go my way. It was a slow and tough pitch, they made light work of it," he added.
Roy scored 46 in the second T20I and he was looking set for a big one, but his vigil at the crease was ended by Washington Sundar and in the end, England was restricted to just 164 in the allotted twenty overs.
"I think the whole squad has played a huge amount of cricket in the sub-continent, playing in this five-match series and then the ODIs, it will hold us in good stead. Last night, we made a few mistakes, it was all fun. Still looking for that big score, those 40s are great, but to get a competitive total in T20Is, you need someone getting a big score. There is still a lot to improve on," said Roy.
"I just think the last year has been a huge learning curve, everything that went on with Covid-19 and bubble life, with all this stuff that could cloud your judgment, it has been a huge learning curve. That is all behind me and I am looking forward to the next innings. I think that's my target, my mindset is to get the best possible start for the team, put aside how I might be feeling, my job is to not mess around, really," he added.
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Further elaborating on his point, Roy said: "To score a hundred in the T20 format, you need to be ultra-aggressive. You are looking to face a maximum of 60 balls and then scoring a hundred, you need to be aggressive. It is a mixture of aggression and pretty calculated stuff if you want to get those big scores. If you live by the sword, you need to be willing to die by it."
When asked about his take on ECB's rotation policy, Roy said: "It is quite an easy stance to take from outside of these bubbles. I think the rest side of the things is coming as the mental well-being of players needs to be looked at. We are here for three weeks, but the Test team first went on to Sri Lanka, and then it was here. That is mentally taxing on you and your family, so from my point of view, they are just taking a mental rest and it is not anything physical. This environment is quite demanding."
