Root: We did a good job in staying calm
England skipper Joe Root feels that staying calm under pressure helped England secure victory in a thrilling finish to the first Test against India at Edgbaston.
It looked like Virat Kohli would force India over the line by sheer force of will but England kept plugging away and eventually Ben Stokes found the ball that turned the match.
England claimed a 31-run victory in the end with Stokes bagging four scalps in the fourth innings.
The skipper would praise his bowling unit while admitting that the batsmen had some work to do.
Speaking after the win Root said: “I am thrilled to bits. It has been a fantastic team performance despite the ups and downs the credit must go to the bowling unit.
“The easy thing to do is criticise the batters. We knew that if we stayed calm throughout, we would give ourselves the best chance to win.
“We did a good job in staying calm. We made sure we didn’t get ahead of ourselves and after three days of fantastic cricket from both sides it gives us a lot of confidence going into the next game.”
ALSO READ: Stokes inspires brilliant England comeback victory
Sam Curran won the man of the match award for his allround display which included a match-saving 63 in England’s 180 all out. The skipper praised the 20-year-old but wouldn’t guarantee him a place in the XI for the second Test at Lord’s.
Root said: “Sam Curran has a great amount of skill, very exciting and promising cricketer. It is easy to make an emotional decision right now, but we need to sit outside and decide for Lord’s depending on the surface.”
The second Test at Lord’s gets underway on Thursday August 9
Latest
-
NewsSri Lanka v England Day Three: Joe Root at the double but Sri Lanka show grit
Captain Root had ended day one on 66, day two on 168 and marched onwards to 228 on the third morning.
-
NewsJack Leach admits there is room for improvement as Sri Lanka frustrate England
Leach and Sam Curran struck for the tourists in the hosts’ second innings.
-
NewsJoe Root’s double century keeps England in command despite rally from Sri Lanka
Captain Root had ended day one on 66, day two on 168 and marched onwards to 228 on the third morning.
-
NewsEngland captain Joe Root reaches fine double century before Sri Lanka fight back
Root was the last man out for England after scoring 228 to record a fourth double ton for his country.
-
NewsCaptain Joe Root completes fine double century as England build formidable lead
Root became only the fifth England player to score a Test double hundred in Asia.
-
NewsSri Lanka v England Day 2: Joe Root excels alongside Dan Lawrence
The England captain and his new team-mate added 173 to build England’s advantage.
-
NewsNine rookies in Pakistan squad for South Africa series
Pakistan have included nine uncapped players in their 20-man squad for the two-Tests against South Africa, starting on January 26.
-
NewsLabuschagne upset after not scoring ‘big’ hundred
Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne might have been the star of the show on the first day of the fourth Test against India.
-
NewsJoe Root backs up plea for strong England start with century against Sri Lanka
The skipper had urged his team to impress from the word go and led by example with 168 not out in Galle.
-
NewsJoe Root century strengthens England’s grip on first Test against Sri Lanka
Dan Lawrence hits 73 on debut as England reach 320 for four at tea, a lead of 185.