Even 40 Overs Could Have Given Us Something Exciting: Joe Root

England captain Joe Root was the standout batsman for his team, playing a fighting knock in both innings to give his side a genuine chance to win the first Test against India in Nottingham. But unfortunately, weather played its part and ruled the roost, forcing the game to a draw. Joe Root, who is also the player of the match, remarked that even as the match was incredible, he bemoaned the weather ruling the roost.

Joe Root arrived at 42-2 in the first innings and looked in full flow from the get-go, having Jonny Bairstow alongside him. However, the latter’s focus dropped before lunch, perishing for 70. The next thing the Trent Bridge crowd witnessed was the hosts collapsing in a heap. The pressure also got to Root as he scored 64 runs off England’s first innings total of 183.

England bowlers used the conditions reasonably well to keep India to 278; however, the lead of 95 appeared a daunting one. Joe Root arrived at a similar stage in the second innings too and needed to concentrate a bit more this time. The likes of Dom Sibley, Dan Lawrence, Jonny Bairstow, and Jos Buttler batted around the skipper, but could not build on their starts. He reached his hundred with an elegant straight drive as his 109 give India 209 for victory.

Hopefully we can take some of the good stuff we’ve done this week into the rest of the series: Joe Root

Joe Root stated that the climate robbed them of what could’ve been a thrilling final day and that even 40 overs might have been exciting. The Yorkshire batsman hopes to carry the positives from the first Test to the rest of the series and lamented the weather having the final say. The 30-year old also expects more runs from the top-order batsmen and taking all the catches.

Joe Root further emphasized the need to adapt to a flexible schedule and the constant change in formats. The right-handed batsman enjoyed his challenging knocks in both innings and felt relieved by it. Root hailed India’s seam-bowling attack, claiming they tested the defences and he only aimed to put the pressure back on them.

“It was a great Test match, the weather’s robbed us of what would have been an entertaining final day. Even 40 overs could have given us something exciting. Hopefully we can take some of the good stuff we’ve done this week into the rest of the series. Felt like there were going to be nine opportunities, it was just about making the game go long enough and make sure we had our catchers in. It’s a shame the weather sort of won today. There’s certain areas we want to keep working on, we obviously want to score more runs at the top of the order, and taking the chances we create, but Test cricket is challenging.

We need to keep working on our game, and also keep the fun element in there. We’re going to have to deal with [the schedule, the shifts in format] as long as we have this schedule. It helps to have experience. It’s a little harder for the younger guys, but none of us in the dressing room are using it as an excuse. There was a lot of enjoyment in how I batted, and a little bit of belief there too. India have a very good seam attack, and they tested our defences for long periods of time, and from my point of view it was about putting the pressure back on them,” Root told during the post-match presentation.

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