Dawson Excited To Return To India Ahead Of Limited-Overs Series

Hampshire’s Liam Dawson returned to the sub-continent this week ahead of England’s upcoming limited-overs series against India, and the arrival of 2017 presents yet further International opportunities for the all-rounder.

Less than a month has passed since Dawson enjoyed his first taste of Test cricket, with the 26-year-old presented with his first cap in the fifth and final Test of the series against the hosts in December.

Dawson impressed with both bat and ball during that contest – hitting a maiden half-century in his first innings whilst also offering good control with the ball – and with three ODIs and IT20s scheduled against the same opponent over the coming weeks, he is excited to be back with the national side.

“It’s very exciting to be back again and this group is great to be around. The Test series was a tough tour, although I was only there for the last two matches, but one-day cricket is very different.

“The white-ball cricket that we’ve played in the last two years has been exceptional so hopefully we can continue that in the next month in India.”

Back in familiar surroundings, it is hard for Dawson not to reflect on his first Test appearance and he is hoping that that experience will stand him in good stead for the series' upcoming games.

“I always thought I had a chance in the final Test and it was obviously good to play and do well – that’s given me a lot of confidence heading into this tour.

“India is a hard place to come and bowl and they’re very good players of spin so you have to be realistic. I think it helps having had some experience of playing in those conditions recently but I just have to focus on doing what I do and doing it well.”

Given the disappointment of the result of that Test series, it could be perceived that there is pressure on England during the upcoming contests.

However, the Hants spinner believes that England’s current squad are more than equipped to thrive in that environment.

“In International cricket, there’s always pressure no matter who you play against, probably more so in India but the lads have dealt with that before and we’ll deal with it again. There’ll be some big crowds too which is always exciting to play in front of.

“The pitches are going to be very flat and good to bat on which is a nice challenge to have - we’ve got six games out there and hopefully we can come away with two series wins.”

With England having produced an array of impressive limited-overs performances since the 2015 ICC World Cup – including winning eight of their last 10 ODIs  – there have been some outstanding contributions from individuals along the way.

But Dawson is hopeful that his consistent efforts and hard work could see him given the opportunity to contribute to the side’s future successes, despite being relatively new to the set-up.

“As long as I’m training hard and keep doing things well in the nets then that’s all I can do, hopefully I get a chance to have an impact at some point.

“Without doubt, white ball cricket is my best form of the game and the last couple of years have gone really well in those formats so hopefully I can continue that if selected out in India.”

The first limited-overs fixture between England and India gets underway in Pune on Sunday 15^th January, as Eoin Morgan’s men take on the hosts in the first of three ODIs.