The prospect of a tied series in India leaves England with ‘a lot to play for’, says captain
Joe Root believes that England would have achieved something “phenomenal” if they won the final test against India.
Although the chance of winning the series or reaching the World Test Championship final is gone, Root insists that winning in Ahmedabad, and thus securing a 2-2 draw in the series, would be “a brilliant achievement” and his team leaves with “a lot to play” for the fourth test.
While Root’s ambition may seem relatively modest on the surface, it is worth viewing in the context of India’s long-term household record. India has not lost two Tests in a home series since 2012, when England won 1-2; the last time they were beaten at home in a series, and they have only lost that many times (once in 2000, when South Africa beat them 0-2) since late 1984. To tie the series 2-2, therefore, and completing a six-game streak in Asia with four wins could reasonably be seen as a significant achievement.
That achievement could be considered even more impressive given the margin of defeat in the previous two games. India won the second round by 317 races and the third by 10 wickets, meaning that England will have to demonstrate impressive endurance power to respond with a victory.
“You look at India’s home record as of late and it’s unbelievable,” said Root. “So for us to come out with a tied series would be a really good achievement, especially after the last two games.
“We’ve had two challenging weeks, but that doesn’t define us as a team. We need to see this as a real opportunity to do something special.
“It would be a brilliant achievement to leave everyone here. It would be a monumental effort from this group of players. So there is a lot to play for.”
While Root is keeping his options open in terms of selection, he hinted that the off-roader Dom Bess is likely to make a comeback. England have accepted that they were “wrong” in terms of moving to the previous Test with four sealers and a single specialized spinner and, although Root was 5-8 in India’s early innings, he retains little pretense as a bowler. With another spin track anticipated in the final test, Bess could increase the spin attack and add a bit of solidity to a tail that stretched beyond the horizon in the previous game.
“If the pitch is anything like the previous one, he’s licking his lips at the opportunity,” Root said. “He is certainly in the running to be selected. He is a very skilled young player who is very ambitious and will be desperate to make his mark.”
“You look at the side for the last game: we were wrong about the way we selected the team; we misread the field. We looked at the conditions and how the ball had behaved and the previous Pink Ball Test in India and we did it wrong. We didn’t think it spun that much.
“If the field is like the one above, of course Dom would be a fantastic option. His skill levels are way above mine. He will be looking forward to bowling. We are definitely waiting for this field to turn. That has been a Much of our focus is on training, so we’re as ready as we can be for this game.
“There is no comparison between Dom and me: he is a much more talented bowler than me. He already has 17 wickets this winter and definitely, if he is on the side, he is above me in the pecking order. It was nice to contribute the last time, but if we play two spinners, they will do most of the bowling, they are much more skilled than me. “
While Root is confident that he will have a full squad to choose from, he admitted that there had been some illness on the England pitch in recent days. However, they were all able to practice on Tuesday, raising Root’s hopes that England could pull off the series victory; a result that could, perhaps, provoke a comparison with the 2019 result at The Oval when England won the final test to tie the series against Australia.
“At the moment, everyone seems to be fine,” Root said. “We managed to draw that 2019 series, so it would be great for us to get out of this one again in a similar way. To come out of here with a drawn series would be a really good achievement for a relatively inexperienced team.
“I’d certainly be up there [with my greatest achievements as captain]. The progress we have made in recent years has been really nice, especially away from home. If we ended up winning this game, it would be four wins out of six on this tour.
“It would be a phenomenal achievement for the players to have found a path in some very strange and difficult conditions. So it is a great motivation for us as a team and I would be extremely proud of everyone involved if we did.”
George Dobell is senior correspondent for ESPNcricinfo
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