Ahead of the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad on March 4, England captain Joe Root has on Wednesday (March 3), insisted that the tourists have got all the ingredients, all the pieces, and all the skills to exploit and succeed in India.
England suffered two heavy defeats in the last two Test matches of the ongoing four-match Test series — by 317 runs in the second Test in Chennai and 10 wickets in the third Test in Ahmedabad against India to give the tourists 2-1 lead in the ongoing series.
Following the massive defeats at the hands of India, Root has urged his team to be “braver” and “a little bit more freedom” and not scared of the conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium as England is eyeing to draw the ongoing four-match Test series against Team India.
Root said in a virtual press conference, “We've got all the ingredients, all the pieces, and all the skills to exploit and succeed in these conditions. It is important we harness that, have it in the front of our mind and be a bit braver actually, play with a little bit more freedom.”
He continued, “That doesn't mean going out there and trying to slog it or be ultra-aggressive -- we need to play our game a certain way but it is about not being scared of the conditions.
Everyone's idea of fearless is slightly different. But being fearless is not having that tentative mentality of being trapped on the crease or being caught in two minds. They have to have the freedom to feel like they can go and play, trust their games to go and score runs.”
Root admitted that the tourists made the mistake to invest heavily in seamers in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad and now they can give Dom Bess another chance in the final Test against India.
He signed off by saying, “I think if the pitch looks anything like the last one, he'll be licking his lips at the opportunity. You look at the side for the last match and we got that wrong, we read the pitch wrong in terms of the way we selected the team.”
(With AFP Inputs)
