'England will have to play very good cricket to beat India'

England batsman Joe Root has said that his side hasn't lost the momentum gained in the triumphant Test series as it prepares to take on India in the second ODI on Wednesday.

The first ODI of the five-match series was abandoned in Bristol without a ball being bowled owing to incessant rain.

"No, we haven't lost any momentum," said Root, ahead of the second ODI. 

"But we have had an extra day's practice as a whole squad and we didn't lose time to rain in that sense. What happened in the Test series is still in the back of our minds and we want to take that momentum forward. We want to start well in this series and a couple of wins will be very handy in that sense going ahead." 

"The World Cup (in Australia-New Zealand) is obviously something we are planning towards but we cannot look too far ahead. India are a good side in the ODI format and we will have to play very good cricket to beat them. We are in a good place as a team at the minute and we are looking forward to the game tomorrow," he added. 

After the Bristol wash-out, ex-spinner Graeme Swann was reported as saying that England don't have a chance at the World Cup since they have too many Test players and that Alastair Cook shouldn't be captain either. These comments haven't really hit home if Root is to be believed.

"The Test players have been picked in the ODI side because they are very capable of making big scores in a one-day series and we have prepared really well as a unit. This is an exciting time for us," said Root. 

"There is not much wrong with our batting order at moment. Alex Hales is an explosive player, exciting to watch and we are looking forward to seeing him doing his stuff. Then we have Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler down the order and we have seen that they can win matches on their own. We have a good balance in our side and this series will be a good judge of that," he added. 

About Cook's captaincy and ODI record, he said, "He is a leader, our leader, in one-dayers and Tests. He has done well for a number of years now and he is a fantastic player. He has got all of our support.

"He compliments well with a player like Hales at the top of the order, so hopefully that can be shown in this series. As a team we are very excited and want to show we are a good ODI side, starting tomorrow."

Image: England's Joe Root smiles during a training session.

Photo: Philip Brown/Reuters