Virat Kohli reacts after being dismissed by Adil Rashid. (Twitter: ICC)
Headingley: England were prolific in their display in the 3-match ODI series against India and the man who led from the front after a disappointing T20I series was Test skipper Joe Root. On the verge of having his position in the team under the scanner after failing in the opening ODI, Root came back strongly to hit two match-winning hundreds in the second and third ODI to help the hosts take the series 2-1.
Speaking at the end of the third ODI, Man of the Series Root said that it was very satisfying to perform against a top side like India. “It feels fantastic to come into a big series and perform well as a side. It's a testament to the hard work the guys did. We set the tone early with the ball, and kept taking wickets in the middle overs. In the death, we were good too, rather ruthless. Me and Morgan, we were calm and collected. It was on the slower side, but it was a good wicket. We could hit through the line,” he said.
Root said that the bowlers deserved praise for the show they put on in the India innings. The Test skipper feels that helped ease the pressure when the batsmen came out to chase.
“There was no scoreboard pressure, because of the hard work the bowlers did in the beginning of the game, so it was just about making sure we build a partnership and thankfully we managed to do that today. It's about putting faith in your game and backing your ability, so I'm happy I have done well in the last two games and I'll take the confidence into the Tests.
“We've done well here over the last few years. The pressure of this being a must-win game was important and I am happy I contributed. The Test series will be exciting. India has played well over the last few years, and we did well against Pakistan recently too, so hopefully we can replicate that in this series as well,” he said.
Man of the Match Adil Rashid credited the pacers for setting things up early in the innings. “All the seamers bowled really well. Me and Moeen (Ali) kept it tight and got rewards. It's important to stick to our strengths. The seamers, Mo and I did exactly that. It's important to play well in the nets and that's where you need to get your confidence,” he said.
Rashid was mighty pleased to get the India skipper’s wicket. “It gives you confidence to dismiss someone like Kohli because he's one of the best players in the world. It's nice to play at my home ground at Headingley and incredible crowd support here today as well, so it was fantastic,” he smiled.
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