England U-19 captain Matthew Fisher expects India tour to be a tough one

England Under-19 team is ready to take on the Indian colts in a 5 match ODI series starting in Mumbai on Monday and the visiting captain Matthew Fisher conceded that it will be a tough tour for his team given the quality of their opponents. “We are not here to just develop and learn, we are here to also win. We are going to compete best we can. We know it’s going to be tough but that’s not an excuse. We are going to leave everything on the field, just back ourselves, “Fisher was quoted as saying during a media conference today afternoon.

The Indian U-19 side coached by former India captain Rahul Dravid have flourished in the recent times and will look to stamp their authority on the Brits. While the first two matches will be played at the historic Brabourne Stadium, the last 3 matches of the series will be played at the Wankhede Stadium. “Come out and back ourselves, back our bowlers, batters. We are going to be clear with our plans and hopefully, it will be a competitive series,” the English skipper was quoted as saying by the FirstPost.

When asked if they have some special plans to counter the Indian batting line-up which has the likes of young sensation Prithvi Shaw, Fisher said, “I am actually seeing a lot (of videos). So I know all the players in the Indian team are competitive and that’s why they are on the team and the same with us. I am looking forward to a competitive series.”

Fisher also pointed out that they take inspiration from the senior team which is also currently touring India for the limited-overs leg of the tour. “They (the national side) have kicked on to a different level (after the debacle versus Australia in the 2015 World Cup). Eoin Morgan is a big part of that with his leadership and hopefully I can do so something similar out here. What Morgan is doing with that (the national team), we would to try and replicate as a philosophy and ethos in the whole programme,” the skipper added.

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England U-19 coach Andy Hurry was also of the same opinion. “One of the great things about our national side is that they have inspired the younger generation of players coming through. They are inspiriting the nation,” he said.