Sam Billings roped in England squad as cover for Jason Roy

England wicket keeper batsman Sam Billings called up for the third and final ODI against India at Headingley on Tuesday as a cover for the injured Jason Roy.

The hosts will miss services of in form Jason Roy as he succumbed to an injury during their practice session on Monday. ECB would be itching to take a look at the practice drills as this is the second injury instance at a practice session in the space of just two months. The previous one was Ben Stokes who was out of the Pakistan series as well as two T20s against India due to an hamstring injury.

Also read: Harbhajan Singh: Stop Hindu-Muslim fights, take inspiration from Croatia

Jason Roy will undergo a fitness test before the match which will decide the inclusion of Sam Billings or James Vince in the side. Batsman James Vince is also in the squad as cover, previously called in to replace Dawid Malan. Vince last played a one-day match for England during the tour of Bangladesh in October 2016.

Victory in London confirmed England’s spot as the No.1 ODI side in the ICC Rankings. A win for India at Headlingley will only help close the gap and hand them the required momentum into the Test series that begins on August 1.

England may be top of the world ODI rankings but, following last year’s Champions Trophy semi-final loss to Pakistan, their unpredictability at crunch games has always been a big concern, resembling the England football team.

England will take on India in the series decider on Tuesday at Headingley.