England Test skipper, Joe Root who was named the Player of the Series for his two hundreds in the three-match ODI series was very pleased with the way his team battled against a top quality side like India. England won the third ODI match against India and thus clinched the ODI series by 2-1.
Speaking at the end of the game, England Test skipper Joe Root wants to carry this form into Test matches as well. “It feels fantastic to come into a big series and perform well as a side. It's a testament to the hard work the guys did. We set the tone early with the ball and kept taking wickets in the middle overs. In the death, we were good too, rather ruthless. Me and Morgan, we were calm and collected. It was on the slower side, but it was a good wicket. We could hit through the line,” Root said.
“There was no scoreboard pressure, because of the hard work the bowlers did in the beginning of the game, so it was just about making sure we build a partnership and thankfully we managed to do that today. It's about putting faith in your game and backing your ability, so I'm happy I have done well in the last two games and I'll take the confidence into the Tests.
“We've done well here over the last few years. The pressure of this being a must-win game was important and I am happy I contributed. The Test series will be exciting. India has played well over the last few years, and we did well against Pakistan recently too, so hopefully we can replicate that in this series as well,” he said.
Adil Rashid who was the Man of the Match for his exceptional three wickets including Virat Kohli credited the pacers to set things early for the team.“All the seamers bowled really well. Me and Moeen (Ali) kept it tight and got rewards. It's important to stick to our strengths. The seamers, Mo and I did exactly that. It's important to play well in the nets and that's where you need to get your confidence,” Rashid said.
While talking about Kohli's wickets, Adil Rashid said “It gives you the confidence to dismiss someone like Kohli because he's one of the best players in the world. It's nice to play at my home ground at Headingley and incredible crowd support here today as well, so it was fantastic,” he concluded.
(Inputs from Cricketnext)
