English wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow said that the ODI series victory boosts their confidence prior to the five-match lengthy home Test series.
In the ongoing India tour of England, after losing the three-match T20I series (by 1-2), the hosts England won the three-match ODI series by the 2-1 margin. Both teams are now getting ready for the upcoming five-match Test series, starting from August 1.
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Ahead of the Test series, Bairstow told Sky Sports News, “There’s an overlap of players between the Test and the one-dayers so coming off the back of a series win is going to naturally boost your confidence.”
England is the top-ranked ODI team while India is at no.2 in the ODI ranking. After winning the high-voltage short ODI series, Bairstow said that the England players will carry their confidence to the Test series despite knowing the fact that both are completely different formats.
The 28-year-old said, “Playing against the number two side in the world when you’re ranked at one there’s always pressure on it and to win that series was something we set out to do.
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“We will take confidence from that into the Test team but at the same time it’s something that we know with Test cricket is completely different. It’s a different formula, a different game and different personnel within the team.”
English Test skipper Joe Root has returned to the form after scoring two back-to-back centuries in the last two ODIs and won the Player of the Series award. At the end of the last ODI at Headingley, Root’s ‘mic drop’ celebration snatched the headlines.
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Believing on Root, Bairstow said, “I know he’s copped a lot of stick for it. I don’t think that’ll be coming out anytime soon! It was good fun and he deserved to get man of the series the way that he went out and guided us through, especially at Headingley. Hopefully he goes out and keeps scoring the runs that he’s scored in the last two games.”
