England's Samit Patel during a training session at Hyderabad © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Chandigarh: Oct 19, 2011
England are down in the One-Day International series by 2-0, and one more loss at Mohali in the third ODI on Thursday will mean series loss, but nevertheless, the players are working hard during the training sessions and devoting extra time to turn their fortunes.
The tourists have lost both the ODIs by humongous margins, and with the extra efforts they are putting in during the training sessions, they will try to match their opponents who won the first and the second ODI by 126 runs and eight wickets respectively.
Samit Patel, who was out from England team due to poor fitness levels for two-and-a-half years, is one among them.
"It's not just me; it's everybody else. We all practise and train as intensely as we do in the game, and I'm sure that's why we've had the successes. It's extra training for me; it's fantastic and gets me flying on the park,” he said.
England will be careful with their additional sessions, as they play five ODIs in 11 days in alien conditions.
"We've been doing some extra training, but it's been pretty tough with the schedule we have here - moving on so often. It was better in Hyderabad for me. But I'm always looking to improve my game in all aspects - bowling, batting, fielding and the fitness,” he said.
"I'm sure I'll come away a better bowler and I'll have a lot more confidence playing against other teams,” he added.
The left-arm spinner has great faith in Alastair Cook’s leadership, and says, "I think Alastair's a fantastic captain. He's shown a lot of maturity. We've got to put the two games behind us. But we know we're good enough cricketers to compete out here; we know we can turn it around in Mohali.”
"I know that if we play to our best, we'll be too strong for them."
Talking about the on-field altercations with the Indian batsmen, Patel said, "Competitiveness out on the pitch is good. Some England teams might have come out here and taken a back step. But I'm sure we're not going to do that."
The Sun quoted Patel that England will carry on the sledging in an attempt to "get the Indians out of their comfort zone."
Patel said, "It carried on from the England series back home. Guys don't forget and I'm sure the Indians have had a bit of stick after we beat them 3-0. I don't think they were particularly happy with the way they played in England and they're trying to show us why."
"I'm sure they love to give it out, so they can take a bit from us. We wanted to play a positive game of cricket and we didn't leave anything on the park. We want to get them out of their comfort zones. No one likes to target India in India because of the crowds and our guys would like to do that. England teams who have been here in the past have taken a backward step. I love the fact that our guys are taking it to them," he added.
