Jason Roy will provide England with a much-needed boost if he’s passed fit to face India in Birmingham on Sunday as the hosts look to steady the nerves after back-to-back defeats, said vice-captain Jos Buttler.

Roy, who smashed 153 from 121 balls against Bangladesh earlier in this World Cup, has been out of action since a hamstring pull against the West Indies two weeks ago.

The opener missed the game against Afghanistan and defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia, with James Vince taking his place. But he was back practising on Friday morning at Edgbaston.

“He (Jason) looks pretty good. I think he has been progressing nicely, so it is nice to see him back at the nets, back in the group and taking part,” Buttler was quoted as saying by ICC media.

“I’m sure the medical team will know more than I do, but he looks pretty good (to be back). He has been a very important player for us a long time. We know we can perform better as a group and Jason is a fantastic player to be available. It would be a boost to have him play.”

Sunday’s match is crucial to England’s campaign, with two straight defeats knocking them down to fourth in the table, as they are just one point ahead now of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

If they lose to India, the pressure will double ahead of England’s final round-robin phase game against New Zealand, but Buttler is keeping a cool head.

“Expectation is something England sides have not always had. I have played in England sides where the expectations were very low,” he said.

“The mood in the camp is still very good. Naturally, there is some external pressure and it would be naive to say we have got our blinkers on.

“We just have to accept those things. We know they are going to happen. We know the position we are in, nothing has changed. When we play our best cricket, we are in a position to win.

“We have the opportunity to put things right and everyone has turned up with a smile on their face. Everyone here wants us to do well and being such a good side, when we don’t perform at our best, it is frustrating. But there has been lots of goodwill, so there are good signs for me,” Butter emphasised.

The English fans could well be outnumbered by their Indian counterparts at Edgbaston on Sunday, and Buttler promised both teams will live up to expectations.

“This is the reason we play the game… We know, favourites or underdogs, that all these are hard matches — especially against India, who are brilliant.”