London, Sep 30 (IANS) Skipper Alastair Cook said India will be ‘itching’ to get revenge over England who arrive there for a brief tour during which they will play five One-day Internationals (ODIs) beginning Oct 14.
England’s campaign will be boosted by injuries to key Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, who have been ruled out for the first two matches from the Indian squad.
England’s ODI skipper Cook is aware that India are a dominant force on home conditions than on the green, seaming pitches of a damp English summer.
‘Of course, it will be difficult over there,’ Cook was quoted as saying in Daily Telegraph.
‘They will have a point to prove and the conditions will obviously suit them. I doubt we will see much green grass on the wickets we play on. They are world champions at home and itching to get revenge.
‘It is down to us and how we cope with conditions and how we play. The best players adapt to that. We have players who have never played in India in an England shirt. The learning curve will be so steep but they will handle it well.’
England have not beaten India in a one-day series in India since 1985 and their last two series ended in 5-1 and 5-0 thrashings.
India have just returned from a woeful England tour, where they failed to notch a win in four-match Test series, One Twenty20 and five-match ODI series.
