ENG vs IND | India would be a good test for England as a team, opines Joe Root
Root has faced the stick in recent times for his batting
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Well ahead of the planned series against India, Joe Root has opined that it would be the ultimate test for the national team in tough and challenging conditions to come away with a victory. He also revealed that heās made a few changes to his batting which would help him play across all formats.
While the eyes are set on the ultimate prize ā the Ashes in Australia - Englandās Test skipper Joe Root has put his eyes on the national teamās tour to the sub-continent, where they will face Sri Lanka and India. Englandās record away from home against India has been rather ordinary in recent times, failing to put up a performance in the sub-continent.Ā
Specifically, in India, no touring countries has done well in the recent past, with South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia all failing to come away with a victory. Root too opined that India would be the perfect test for England as a team, especially in conditions where they have faced the wrath in the past.Ā
"We had great experiences and results last time out in Sri Lanka and that will give a number of players a huge amount of confidence going back there with some great memories. Every team finds it a huge challenge to win in India. I think that's a really good test for where we are at as a team,ā Root told Sky Sports.Ā
From a personal viewpoint, Rootās form has seen a huge dip in the last two-three years, where criticism have come in from all corners for him. After such a staggering start to his Test career, Rootās ordinary returns at home against Australia in the Ashes and a similar result against South Africa away from home has irked some fans. He reckoned that the goal is to be amongst the best players in the world for the longest format.Ā
"I want to be one of the best players in the world in the format. I've spent the last period of time since the end of the season looking at various aspects of my game, thinking 'what can I do to get myself in that category? How can I make myself harder to get out, more consistent and making bigger contributions more frequently?," he said.
While Root spit fire against South Africa in the 2016 World T20 group-stage encounter, he has since then failed to retain his place in the shortest format, with England opting to replace him with Dawid Malan. The Test skipper has, however, not given up hope in the shortest format and revealed that he's made a few changes that, he hopes, will help him excel across formats.
"I've made a few little things that hopefully can cross over all three formats and that can stay quite simple and consistent for a long period of time but make it easier for me to spend more time in the middle, and keep my rhythm when I'm batting when I'm playing well."
