Rajkot: England are still smarting from their first-ever Test defeat by Bangladesh last month but Joe Root believes his team can draw confidence from their strong start with the bat in the five-match series against India on Wednesday.
Root led the way for England with a sparkling century and with Moeen Ali, unbeaten on 99, helped them finish the opening day of the first Test on 311 for four after opting to bat first.
“It was good to take advantage of what was a pretty good pitch today and might change over the course of five days,” Root told reporters after compiling his 11th Test hundred. “It was important to start well.
“It’s something that going forward will give us a lot of confidence and hopefully will give the rest of the guys around us confidence as well.
“We were pretty comfortable against the spinners and that should be a really good thing for us going forward.”
England’s two-Test series in Bangladesh was meant to be a dress rehearsal for their batsmen who are likely to be subjected to relentless spin on similarly turning tracks in India. Instead, Alastair Cook and his men arrived with bruised egos, having suffered defeat in the second Test in Dhaka inside three days after losing 10 wickets in a session against the world’s ninth-ranked test team.
“I just tried to work on my defence and make sure that was as solid as it could be,” the 25-year-old Root said of his third Test hundred against India, who are ranked world number one.
“More than anything [I tried to] not change my approach but just being better at it and I practised really hard in Mumbai and on the first couple of days leading up to this game.
“I did the hard yards and was confident to go out and play my natural game. It was really pleasing to see all my hard work coming good today.”
The right-hander said his 179-run stand with Moeen did not allow the Indian spinners to settle into a rhythm and his side will bat for as long as possible on Thursday.
“If we can get to 500, that will be fantastic. This wicket will deteriorate quickly,” Root added. “Having spent some time [batting] I have seen cracks on the wicket and already some variable bounce.
“It will be really important to make a big score tomorrow and take advantage of a good start today.”
Root smashed 11 fours and a six during his 124-run knock before being caught and bowled by Umesh Yadav, who almost dropped the chance as he rushed to celebrate the dismissal.
With Ali standing tall at one end, England looked set for a big first innings total, vindicating captain Alastair Cook’s decision to bat first.
Root celebrated his 11th Test ton, and third against India, by waving his bat towards a grateful England dressing room.
In completing the feat, Root became the first overseas player to score a century in India since Australia’s Michael Clarke in 2013.
“I look forward to watching Moeen bat all day tomorrow too. It’s pleasing, something to build on and a good position to be in,” he said.
Ali put in a focused performance, negotiating 192 balls during his 243-minute stay at the crease.
The Root-Ali pair piled on the misery for India who were also set back by an injury to pace spearhead Mohammad Shami.
Hameed and Cook (21) both benefited from the largesse of India’s fielders who dropped some early chances.
Cook was dropped off Shami on the third ball of the innings, while Hameed got a reprieve on 13 when Murali Vijay grassed his catch at first slip.
The England skipper, who surpassed Michael Atherton’s record of 54 Tests as England captain, was adjudged leg before off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
TV replays showed the ball would have missed the leg stump but Cook did not refer to the third umpire even though the decision review system is being used for the first time by India in a home series.
