England skipper Joe Root showered praise on his teammates after the visitors defeated India by 227 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to go 1-0 up in the series. With this victory, England also keep their hopes alive in the ICC World Test Championship.
Speaking of the fifth day, it started well with Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill being positive against spin. The pair seemed to be in control before Jack Leach got one to bounce more to get rid of India’s mainstay – Pujara.
Joe Root then introduced James Anderson and he just broke the backbone of the batting line-up in four deliveries, cleaning up a well-set Gill and a struggling Ajinkya Rahane. The veteran followed it up by deceiving Rishabh Pant with a slower ball and putting England on course to victory.
Everyone chipped in with useful contributions – Joe Root
Virat Kohli battled on at one end and got some support from Ravichandran Ashwin, they defied England for some time but it was Leach who once again provided the breakthrough. Ben Stokes then got into action, getting one to stay down and castling Kohli for 72 and it was just a formality after that. Jack Leach accounted for four wickets while Anderson chipped in with three to seal the tie to go 1-0 up in the series and cruise through to the top of the ICC World Test Championship points table.
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Speaking at the end of the Test, Joe Root, who scored a brilliant double hundred to make his 100th Test memorable, hailed his teammates, who chipped in useful contributions whenever needed. The senior pros like Anderson, Root, and Stokes made vital contributions but it was also the newcomers – Dominic Sibley, Dom Bess, and Jack Leach – playing their first game in India and putting up some noticeable performances.
“Crucial toss but from that point, we had to follow through and make the most of a very good wicket. We did that very well. To take 20 wickets in alien conditions is a brilliant job from the bowlers. Knew from the outset it was going to be a good wicket. The first partnership got us going. Different stages guys came in and contributed. That’s got to be the way – if we’re going to win out here someone has to do that. Fortunately, it was me this week,” Joe Root said at the end of the match.
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Meanwhile, it was James Anderson, who set it up beautifully with two back to back wickets in the single over before removing Rishabh Pant from where there was no turning back for India. Joe Root hailed the senior paceman calling him a perfect role model for the junior players in the side.
The way he (Anderson) goes about things, challenging himself constantly and getting better all the time even at 38. He’s a great role model to the rest of the group. His skill level is right up there with anyone we’ve ever seen,” Joe Root signed off.
