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30th June 2019
07:00pm BST
Roy had missed the previous four matches and was sorely missed, in particular during the batting collapse against Sri Lanka, when England were all out for a measly 212 runs.
Against India, England's opening pair of Roy and Jonny Bairstow scored a combined total of 177, demonstrating the swagger that has epitomised the evolution of this One Day side over the past couple of years. Roy's aggression, as he strode down the wicket to hit boundary after boundary before he was dismissed by a spectacular catch from Ravindra Jadeja put England in good stead to rack up a high total.
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Bairstow earned the player of the match award, with an emphatic 111 and some excellent work in the field, while Ben Stokes chipped in with an impressive 79 off 54 balls. But Roy's presence was the most notable after a succession of underwhelming performances from James Vince in his absence.
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The South African born batsman did not field, though, after sustaining a blow to his right arm during his innings, with James Vince replacing him for the second half of the day.
Morgan's decision to bring in Liam Plunkett for Moeen Ali was justified, as Plunkett took three wickets, including India's talisman and captain, Virat Kohli, who is still yet to score a century in this tournament.
Next up for England is another huge test against New Zealand on Wednesday. Morgan and co. will be praying Roy is fit enough to open the batting again, with Trent Boult's rocket launcher of a left arm a daunting prospect.
England can guarantee themselves a place in the final four with a win over New Zealand, but a loss will leave them rooting for Bangladesh on Friday, with Pakistan breathing down their necks.Explore more on these topics:
