Root wants England to be “ruthless” when it comes against India.
Although England coach Chris Silverwood has stated that he does not want to "break" his quicks, the team's strict rotation policy led to the team's series loss in India earlier this year.
England captain Joe Root has challenged his team to be “ruthless” in the fourth test against India, which begins on Thursday at the Oval.
The five-match series is now tied at 1-1 after England won by an innings and 76 runs at Headingley last week.
However, with wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler away due to the birth of his second child and concerns over the impact of a grueling three-test schedule in three weeks on their fast bowlers, England could make up to three changes to a winning squad.
On Tuesday, England captain Joe Root told reporters, “Now is when the hard work begins.”
“We’ve got to look to go even further, dig deeper, and really start going through the gears,” said Root, who last week scored his third century in as many tests — his sixth of 2021 — and is on track to take over the top spot in the International Cricket Council test batting rankings when the points system is updated on Wednesday.
“I expect nothing less from a world-class team like India, captained by Virat Kohli. To believe otherwise would be naïve. We’ve simply been back to square one, and if we get ahead of the game at any point, we’ll have to get brutal again.”
Buttler will be replaced behind the stumps by Jonny Bairstow, with Dan Lawrence or Ollie Pope filling the void in the middle order.
The more difficult question for England is whether to rest one or both of James Anderson and Ollie Robinson after their outstanding performance at Headingley.
Although England coach Chris Silverwood has stated that he does not want to “break” his quicks, the team’s strict rotation policy led to the team’s series loss in India earlier this year.
Both Anderson and Robinson, on the other hand, have bowled more than 116 overs in the opening three games of the series, with Robinson becoming increasingly important in an attack that is without Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, and Ben Stokes.
“Trying to balance workloads and performance is always going to be difficult in the current situation, especially with the games coming thick and fast,” Root added.
“When you come off a win like last week, there’s a lot of confidence and you’re trying to duplicate that, but you have to balance that with making sure you don’t blow someone out and damage someone.”
Fast bowler Mark Wood, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, and returned Chris Woakes, who might play his first test in a year if England drops fellow all-rounder Sam Curran, are two more bowling alternatives for England.
ASHWIN IS A WORLD-CLASS PERFORMER.
India must determine if they can continue to play without off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on an Oval ground that is notorious to turn.
With left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja supporting a four-man pace attack, Ashwin has 413 test wickets and five hundreds to his name, although he has yet to play in this series.
Root added of Ashwin, who had a brief stint with Oval-based Surrey earlier this season, “I think his record speaks for itself, he’s a world-class player.”
“We’ve seen him score runs and take wickets against us, so we know what he can do in test cricket. Finally, it’s crucial not to get caught up in playing the player; instead, focus on the delivery and the circumstance you’re in.”
Kohli is certain that his team will not be “demoralised” by last week’s setback, despite a rain-affected tie in Nottingham. India then won by 151 runs at Lord’s before crumbling to 78 all out at Leeds.
“If what occurs in one game ensures the same thing in the following game,” India skipper Virat Kohli remarked.
India were dismissed for 36 runs in the first test against Australia in Adelaide in December, only to come back to win the series 2-1 despite an injury-plagued squad.
“We prefer it when people question our team’s ability,” Kohli remarked. “That is our favorite situation.”
