Eoin Morgan must carry on the good work

Morgan has done all he can in these matches. Sensing the chance to accelerate in the first innings at Lord's, the Irishman scored 79 and shared a stand of 101 in 19.5 overs with Matt Prior. It was not enough to help England to victory, although the knock was clear evidence of his ability to attack.

England's best one-day batsman produced a similar effort here yesterday, in his ninth Test, as he hit 71 from 110 deliveries and built a breezy partnership of 137 in 33.1 overs with Ian Bell. So far, so good, but against such a docile pace attack decisive judgments must be postponed.

Against India, the world's top-ranked Test team, Morgan will need to cope with high-quality seam and spin bowling. Zaheer Khan is one of the best left-arm pace bowlers in world cricket and should enjoy English conditions, while Harbhajan Singh has been a wily, dangerous off-spinner for a decade.

Morgan has been so successful in one-day cricket because of his icy temperament and the ability to pace an innings and locate the gaps in the field. These qualities are similarly important at Test level but while the 24-year-old has shown plenty of promise in the five-day game there are some concerns.

Against Pakistan last summer, Morgan made a superb century in difficult circumstances at Trent Bridge but did not manage a significant score in any of the remaining three Tests. Furthermore, opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif exposed a vulnerability outside off stump that Zaheer will seek to expose again.

Morgan was not used during the Ashes because Bell returned from injury to take his place.

With Paul Collingwood retired, Morgan needs to show he can prosper in Tests against the best teams because he fulfils a crucial role in the side. If England lose early wickets, he is there to counter-attack. If England are on top, his responsibility is to press home the advantage quickly.

Sri Lanka coach Stuart Law believes the stability within the England squad will make it easier for Morgan to establish himself.

"England are a very happy team at the moment and a very settled team," he said. "They know their roles, and that's a big bonus when you come into any team.

"If you're unsure about what to do, it's difficult, but he [Morgan] knows exactly what he needs to do - to score runs quickly. It's not about defence; it's about attack, and he is one of the best attacking batsmen around.

"He hits it in funny areas, he plays the unique strokes and he has started off very well in his career. He looks a very good player."

If Morgan becomes one of England's most reliable Test players over the next few years it might create a change in the approach of first-class cricketers in this country.

The normal route to a Test place has been for a batsman to gain experience and get plenty of runs under his belt in the County Championship. This is not true of Morgan, whose first-class average of 38.45 from 59 matches has been enhanced by some high scores while playing for Ireland.

However, Bell, whose unbeaten 119 means he averages 331 in this series, has been impressed by the impact Morgan has made in the Test team.

"I like batting with Eoin," Bell said. "He is going to become a very good Test cricketer. To see him batting in these situations, where you need your No6 to go through the gears or do something a little bit different, he is the perfect man to come in.

"Hopefully, he will be growing all the time. With the way that the top order play, to have someone like him coming in at No6 is going to be a big strength for us."