England skipper Joe Root is in great spirits even though his team suffered a heavy 317-run defeat at the hands of India in the second Test at Chepauk.

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Chasing 482 in the fourth innings, the visitors got bowled out for 164. India’s spin trio of Akshar Patel (5-60), Ravichandran Ashwin (3-53) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-25) claimed all the 10 wickets among themselves in England's second innings to ensure a series-levelling victory for the hosts.

Speaking after the match, said they are still very much alive in the series and he is looking forward to the third Test.

"One thing our batters need to learn is how well they (India) managed to rotate strikes. We are looking at the areas that we can improve on. We are looking forward as a team and we won't be getting too hard on ourselves after this week. We are very much in the series and we played three brilliant games coming into this game. So, as long as we stay level and keep working hard, we are very much alive in the series," Root said in the post-match press conference.

A number of former cricketers from England and Australia, including Michael Vaughan and Mark Waugh, have termed the Chepauk pitch for the second Test as "under-prepared".

Commenting on the strip, Root said it was a challenging wicket but India showed that players can score runs on that.

"It was a challenging wicket and I do think that the toss was an important one to win but it would not have had guaranteed the win. The fact is that India have shown that you can score runs on that. So, we have got to learn from that," the England captain remarked.

All-rounder Moeen Ali, who was the top-scorer in England’s second innings with 43, has decided to take a break after the second Test and he hasn’t been named in the 17-member squad for the remaining two games.

Moeen was tested COVID-19 positive after landing in Sri Lanka last month and he had to miss both the Tests in the island nation.

Root said they "completely respect" Moeen's decision to return back to home.

"From the squad, I think Moeen is the only one going home. With Moeen, it wasn't about asking him if he wanted to stay, it was a decision that he chose. Of course, we want as many players to stay available as long as possible, but we also want them to be comfortable here. For Moeen, he wants to be at home with his family and we completely respect and understand that," he said.

"It's been a very difficult tour for him, having to deal with Covid and being in his room for such long periods of time. You come to a point where you want to get out of the bubble and that's absolutely fair. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for him, but it's one that we respect," Root further stated.

The third Test will be played in Ahmedabad from February 24.

(With ANI inputs)