NOTTINGHAM: England Test captain Joe Root has said that playing some 50-over cricket before the series against India has helped him gain rhythm back in his batting.
India bundled out England on 303 in the third session on Day 4 after Joe Root's classy ton in the second innings. Root played an all-important innings before India fought back as Jasprit Bumrah picked five wickets. It was Bumrah's second five-wicket haul at Trent Bridge. England has set a target of 209 for India.
"There has been a lot to handle. But it is important you find ways to handle that. You can let it weigh you down but you have to find solutions. It's about trying to deal with what's in front of you and not letting anything overwhelm you. This morning I said to myself and to the group: just remember what is fun about cricket. It might be tough sometimes, it might be hard, but it's fun. And it's really important we all embrace that," said Root during a virtual press conference held at the end of Day 4.
"Whatever the situation, whatever the conditions, and wherever you are in your own game, it's important you go out there, enjoy the moment, and make the most of it. It felt pretty good to get a big score and get us into position to give us a chance of winning this Test," he added.
England might have removed opening batsman KL Rahul in the final half-hour of the play but India need just 157 runs to win the first Test on Sunday. India scored 52 runs after bundling out England in the third session. The visitors got off to a cautious start but eventually lost Rahul as Stuart Broad bowled an absolute peach of a delivery to dismiss the Indian batsman.
"I've actually felt a real benefit from playing some white-ball cricket. I know it would be nice to have some red-ball cricket coming into this game but, from my point of view, playing 50-over cricket gave me some rhythm back in my batting," said Root.
"I felt I got forward and back better. I was standing a lot taller a lot earlier, picking my bat up a lot earlier, I feel like I have got the rhythm back in my hands. I find 50-over cricket can be a massive help to my red-ball game," he added.
Talking about the match situation, Root said: "I think as always you want more runs to play with, you have seen in this game, that cluster of wickets have fallen. We need to make those runs last as long as possible and we have to be good on the field. We need to take our chances, the belief will be there."