It is cognizance of the fact that not too many teams savour success in the Indian conditions. The last team to win a Test series in India was England when Alastair Cook-led team had stunned the hosts by 2-1. The fact that England are still in with a chance to level the four-match series against the Indian juggernauts, gives great hope to the skipper.
The tourists had made a roaring start to the four-match Test series as they won the opening encounter by a massive margin of 227 runs. Joe Root had scored a fine double century as England came up with a collective effort.
However, the visitors haven’t been able to put up a fight in the last two Test matches as they have failed to counter the spinning conditions. England succumbed to a gargantuan loss of 317 runs in the second Test match whereas they lost the previous match by 10 wickets.
But the Joe Root-led can turn the tables if their batsmen can execute their skills better. Root feels the last few weeks don’t define his team as they haven’t been at their best.
“You look at India’s record at home in recent times and it’s incredible,” Root said. “So, for us to come away with a drawn series would be a really good achievement, especially off the back of the last two games.
“We’ve had two challenging weeks but that doesn’t define us as a team. We need to look at this as a real opportunity to do something special. “It would be a brilliant achievement to leave here two-all. It would be a monumental effort from this group of players. So there’s loads to play for.”
However, England is out of the ICC World Test Championship final race, and if they go on to win the fourth Test match, they will do a huge favour to their arch-rivals – Australia, as the Tim Paine-led team, will qualify for the final in that scenario. There is no doubt that Root is going to hold the key for the English team as he is their best batsman.
On the other hand, India either needs to win or draw to seal their berth for the final of the ICC WTC. The fourth Test match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad from March 4.
