IPL 2020 | Nice opportunity to gain fitness amidst hectic schedule, proclaims Jason Roy after pulling out of IPL

IPL 2020 | Nice opportunity to gain fitness amidst hectic schedule, proclaims Jason Roy after pulling out of IPL

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Jason Roy eyes a return in England's Test setup

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After pulling out of IPL 2020, Jason Roy has proclaimed that it is a nice opportunity for him to regain full fitness and be back amidst such hectic schedule for the Three Lions. The English opener also eyed a return to the Test setup in a bid to prove himself after his failed stint in the Ashes.

Days before the first T20I against Pakistan, Jason Roy was dealt with a hammer blow as an injury ruled him out of the entire T20I series. Moments after that, the English opener made it crystal clear that he was pulling out of the IPL, owing to personal circumstances, with Australiaā€™s Daniel Sams replacing him in the Delhi Capitals outfit.Ā 

Now explaining his decisionĀ ofĀ pulling out of the IPL, Roy admitted that it is a nice opportunity for him to gain full fitness ahead of the Australia series. The opener also elaborated that he is going to work on his fitness and cricket skills over the next two months to ensure that there arenā€™t any troubles in the future. Roy was the fourth-highest run-scorer for the national team in the 2019 World Cup, where he scored 443 runs at an average of 63.28.Ā 

"I can spend the next couple of months looking after myself and getting back to where I should be cricket-wise. During Covid and the lockdown, my running was good and cycling and all the stuff that ticks you over and makes you feel good but then you come to the specifics and you are a little bit behind because you don't have the opportunity to net. So, I just think it is a nice opportunity to do that and looking at the schedule over there it's pretty hectic, so it'll be a nice opportunity to get fit and raring to go again," he told Cricbuzz.Ā 

Immediately, the English management, under the watchful eye of Ed Smith, picked up the opener to be part of the 2019 Ashes squad at home. While the move looked powerful on paper, against a quality Australian pace attack, the move concluded to be one of the worst decisionsĀ of the English summer. Despite the failure, Roy admitted that he tried to look at the positives more than negatives.Ā 

"But I looked at it at the end of the year, I was like, 'the same year I played in a winning World Cup I played in the Ashes. That's so special. Aside from the fact that I didn't do very well in the Ashes, it was incredible to be part of it. So, looked at the positives. Even though I might not have succeeded, no-one can take that I played in an Ashes - it's quite cool."

Currently, Englandā€™s Test setup has all the bases covered, with Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley at the top of the order while Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and Joe Root shoulder responsibility down the order. However, Roy still does not want to give up on his opportunity in red-ball cricket, with the right-hander determined to keep pushing forward to gain a place in the setup.Ā 

"I am not done with red-ball cricket. I want to prove that more to myself more than anyone. It's part of my career that I want to tick off. You see players who have come in at 32 and made hundreds. Who knows what is going to happen? You have just got to keep your head up and keep pushing forward."

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