England captain Joe Root expressed his desire to play the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, Root has not registered for the IPL 2021 auction and he talked about the reason behind it.
“At some point of my career, I am desperate to be a part of an IPL season. Hopefully, a few more beyond that as well. It is something I would love to experience, and love to be a part of,” Root said in a virtual press conference.
Root is eager to be a part of IPL but he couldn't register this year because of a busy schedule in international cricket. He feels this year wasn't the right time for him to name himself in the auction. The English batsman is looking forward to the next year.
“With the amount of international cricket and Test cricket, in particular, this year didn’t feel like it was the right time (to enter the IPL auction). I didn’t feel like I could throw in all my energy into it, which it deserves. And, I don’t think it would set me up and set English cricket up best with what’s to come. Very difficult decision. Hopefully, next year, there’s more of an opportunity to potentially be part of the IPL or at least be in the auction,” he added.
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India and England will play the second Test in Chennai in front of the crowds. The first Test match was played behind closed doors, which England won by 227 runs.
Root feels the presence of the crowd can make a huge impact in the game. “I think it will massively (impact). Having an atmosphere within the stadium is a massive part of international cricket what makes it special in many ways is that the interaction between fans and players.
"Obviously, when you come to India we all how passionate Indians are about cricket and it is a big part of life in many ways here. We are very much excited about that and we are looking forward for that.”
England have announced their side for the upcoming Test match on Saturday (February 13).
England's 12 men for the second Test: Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Joe Root(C), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Olly Stone.
(With ANI Inputs)
