Root not resting despite series lead

England batsman Joe Root insists his side will be playing with full intensity and focus come the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval, despite leading the series two one and India in free fall.
England batsman Joe Root insists his side will be playing with full intensity and focus come the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval, despite leading the series two one and India in free fall.
After poor efforts in the first two matches, England have come back strongly to win the third and fourth games by hefty margins, with the senior players finally finding form to leave India on the back foot.
But the Yorkshire man insisted: "I don't think we can really rest on the fact we've played well in the last couple of games.
"We will really try to nail down what has been a good little bit of form in the last two games. We're definitely not going to take India lightly.
"We know India are going to come very hard at us, and we'll have to make sure we've got all bases covered and not be caught off guard.
"That [short ball] will be one area I'm sure a lot of the lads will be working on within their own games."
The batsman went on to say that the dire Ashes in Australia helped his batting rather than hindering it, and he's gone on to make a string of big scores since the series against Sri Lanka in June.
He added: "If anything, that winter put things in perspective for me. I obviously struggled, as did a lot of people out in Australia.
"Something I've taken from that trip is that when you get in you have to make sure you take it. A lot of people have taken that attitude over this summer, and it's shown."
He also commented on fast bowler Stuart Broad's facial injury, after he got smashed in the face by a Varun Aaron bouncer in the fourth Test. Root said that while the paceman looked slightly worse for wear, he was still ready for The Oval.
Root joked: "It's not very pretty. He's not got his 'boy-band' looks you'd normally associate with Stuart. He's milking it definitely…as you'll probably have seen on all the social network sites.
"But I'm sure he'll be desperate to play on Friday. He's obviously in good form…and will be wanting to finish the series strongly with the rest of us."
Latest
-
News
Heather Knight excited by freedom on offer after New Zealand quarantine
England Women will be able to break out of the coronavirus ‘bubble’ lifestyle in a country which has effectively contained the disease.
-
News
Sri Lanka v England day one: Tourists carve out dominant performance in Galle
The tourists skittled Sri Lanka for 135 then replied with 127 for two.
-
News
Stuart Broad and England in ‘dream world’ after superb first day in Sri Lanka
Broad took three wickets and Dom Bess five before Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow took England within eight runs of their hosts’ total.
-
News
England dominate day one of Sri Lanka Test after brilliant Stuart Broad start
Broad’s early scalps set the tone for a day England ended just eight runs behind their opponents with eight first-innings wickets intact.
-
News
Boucher says its time for Proteas to get back to Pakistan
Mark Boucher will direct the Proteas on their first tour of Pakistan since 2007 which gets underway later this month.
-
News
Stuart Broad and Dom Bess run through lacklustre Sri Lanka on day one
The hosts made just 135 after winning the toss and electing to bat.
-
News
England make early inroads as Stuart Broad strikes
Sri Lanka slipped to 65 for three on the first morning after opting to bat in Galle.
-
News
Jos Buttler: I felt anxious and out of place at start of international career
Buttler admits to feeling daunted at being in close proximity to established stars.
-
News
Jacques Kallis admits to warming to the idea of helping arch enemy England
The South African is the third-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket.
-
News
Graham Onions admits coaching chance is a huge relief after premature retirement
A back issue sustained on the eve of the Bob Willis Trophy led to the 38-year-old announcing his retirement.