While England may have been knocked out from the race for a vacant spot in the World Test Championship, captain Joe Root feels that a win in the last Test against India would do loads of good for the team.
If the visitors manage to conjure a victory in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad starting Thursday, then it would be Tim Paine’s Australia who would go through to the WTC final to face neighbours New Zealand. For Virat Kohli’s team, they need to avoid a defeat to confirm their ticket to Lord’s.
However, Joe Root is focused more on the performance of his side, and not on ‘helping’ their Ashes rivals.
As quoted by India Today, Joe Root said, “I wouldn’t see it as helping Australia. I would see it as ending with a drawn series and doing something special in India. Unfortunately, we can’t qualify for the final now but a draw would be a fantastic achievement and that’s all I can really say as an England captain.”
We have got the skills to succeed in these conditions: Joe Root
Most of the England batters have rarely faced such extreme conditions – in favour of spin bowling – as they have done in the last couple of Tests. Root, on his third Test tour to India and averaging 53.94, reckons they still have players with the required skill set to come out trumps, but with a different approach than in the last games, despite being outplayed comprehensively.
“I think it’s a reflection of conditions. Being fearless means not having that tentative mentality of being trapped on the crease or caught in two minds. It’s having confidence to play the ball in front of you, not having baggage from what has happened before, not overthinking the pitch, and trying to see things as they are.
“It is all still there for us. We’ve got all the ingredients, all the pieces, and all the skills to exploit and succeed in these conditions. It’s important we harness that and have it in the front of our minds. We need to be braver and play with a bit more freedom.
“That doesn’t mean going out there and trying to slog it or be ultra-aggressive. We play our game a certain way but we must not be scared of conditions. We must embrace them, however they turn out in this game,” the 30-year-old skipper added.
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