Former England batter Joe Root said there was absolute clarity when they were chasing 378 runs against India at Edgbaston, Birmingham and there was a total belief that they will get their runs. England were chasing down 378 runs, which was their highest ever run-chase in Test match history but they didn’t bat an eyelid during the historic game.
Zak Crawley and Alex Lees gave a perfect start to the team as they added 107 runs for the opening alliance. England then lost three wickets in quick succession which might have created some panic but Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow looked absolutely at ease throughout the run-chase.
The duo went on to add 269 runs for the fourth wicket – which is the highest fourth-innings partnership in Test cricket to get their team over the line with seven wickets to spare. Root continued his fine form as he scored a magnum opus knock of 142 runs whereas Bairstow scored a brilliant knock of 114 runs.
Both the batters looked at ease throughout the run-chase and except for a couple of drops against Jonny Bairstow (by Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant), there were no chances created by the Indian bowlers.
Meanwhile, it has been noticed that England has adopted this aggressive approach and they are chasing down totals with aplomb. Brendon McCullum, the team’s new head coach, has given the freedom to his players to play aggressively and everyone is relishing the opportunity to play in a positive manner.
On the other hand, Joe Root was awarded the Player of the Series for England as he scored 737 runs in five Test matches at a Bradmanesque average of 105.28. Root scored a total of four centuries in the series and played a key role for England in leveling the five-match series.
Joe Root was delighted after England got over the line in the record-breaking run-chase.
Root said in the post-match presentation, “Love playing. It’s as simple as that. The environment has been great and the guys are having fun in the last four weeks. There is absolute clarity when we were chasing it down and there was total belief. Absolutely didn’t think of stepping away from the game. There are a bunch of lovely lads and Stokes has the backing of everyone. Our responsibility is to keep everyone entertained and keep it fun. [On his form] It is something you are constantly searching for and something you rarely find. You want to keep it as fun as possible.”
He added, “Still watching Jonny bat is great, I just wanted to give him strike. I have accepted that you aren’t going to have success all the time. As a 5-10-year-old kid, having fun is what you want and that is what is the most enjoyable part of the career. We have been riding a brilliant wave of confidence after brilliant performances against NZ. The start the two openers got us off to was superb and they put the pressure back on. It made it a lot easier for us and those scores were a lot more than what was seen on the score sheet. It was great fun doing it.”
Root will now be in action in the ODI series against India while he is not part of the T20I squad.
