England batsman Liam Livingstone is all geared up to take on India in his debut ODI on Friday and said it is a great chance for him to test himself against one of the best teams in the world.
England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed that Livingstone will make his ODI debut in the second game against India in Pune after skipper Eoin Morgan ruled out of the series due to an injury while batsman Sam Billings will be unavailable for Friday's game.
Jos Buttler will captain England in Morgan's absence in the remaining two ODIs.
"Really excited, spent a lot of time around the group over the summer and winter so it's nice to be able to get a chance, really looking forward to tomorrow," Livingstone said in a video shared by the ECB.
"They played some really good cricket this series and back end of the T20I series and the ODI. It is a great chance for me to test myself against one of the best teams in the world," he added.
The right-handed batsman has played in the two T20Is for England before and was part of the squad named for the five-match T20I series against India but he did not get any match to play.
"Absolutely, the first time around was really different with this time. I have been waiting for this chance for a while now so really excited about tomorrow," he said."Anytime you get an opportunity, it is up to you take and there are obviously two World Cups coming so really exciting cricket coming up for England and hopefully I can take my chance in tomorrow's game," Livingstone added.
When asked about spending a lot of time on the sidelines, Livingstone said, "It is not just any other team that you are trying to get into, the team is world champion and probably the best white-ball side in the world at the moment. So, it is not something that you just walk-in to and I guess being around the group makes you more familiar and comfortable, I really enjoyed my time being around with the group even though I've not been playing. Now, it is my turn to go out and perform for England." On Morgan and Billings' injuries, he said: "It is obviously not nice to see teammates getting injured but fingers crossed they are not quite serious as they could have been so. Speedy recovery for them too, Hopefully, they will be back before the IPL."
The second ODI between England and India will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium here on Friday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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