Not convinced that I had edged the ball: Joe Root

English batsman Joe Root set things up for his side on day one of the final Test. Root scored a fighting 88 and put on a crucial stand with Moeen Ali. Now, the Englishman wants Moeen Ali to continue batting the same way on the second day as well. He was in full praise for Moeen and said the southpaw has been instrumental in the middle order for quite some time now.

“I thought the way Moeen played throughout was excellent. It was obviously quite tough to start the innings when he came out there in that situation. I mean just lost two wickets and the maturity he showed, which he has done throughout this year, has been brilliant. That added responsibility of batting higher up in the batting order he has taken really well on this tour and proved it with two brilliant hundreds,” quoted Joe Root.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, he further noted that it would be nice to get a win under their belt. He is hopeful of watching a Moeen and Ben Stokes special on day 2. “It would be really nice to go home with a win under our belt and we have set it up nicely today. It is about taking it forward tomorrow. And hopefully Moeen can carry on how he has played today. Stokesy can get in and play one of his mouth-watering innings he is capable of. Take the game to India and set it up nicely,” he added.

Root himself looked pretty tidy at the wicket. However, he missed out on a well-deserved ton when he was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. The umpire had ruled it not out but a review from Kohli saw Root walking back to the pavilion. He was miffed and believed that he did not edge the ball at all. He accepted that he was indeed very frustrated about it. Also, it was one of those days when Kohli went with his gut feeling and it worked in his favor.

“I would be lying if I say that I was not frustrated about it. But I don’t think I would have done anything differently if I have my time again, I still be playing the same shot. I think it’s something to keep maybe at the back of my mind but I am not going to change the way I am playing and I am still gonna go back to the business that I have done for the last year or so. It’s about being better at it I think,” he quoted.

“No I was not convinced I hit it. Obviously technology suggested otherwise but it’s disappointing when you are convinced that there’s nothing. I mean look at the keeper’s reaction he was not interested either. It was one of those where Kohli just went with his gut and it went in his favour. But it is what it is,” he added further.

The cyclone had affected the practice sessions of both the teams. The practice sessions were called off and Joe Root was seen batting on the roads on the eve of the final Test. Talking about the experience, Root mentioned that it was great to do what he used to do in his childhood. Playing on the streets is something that brought back a few memories.

“You think about how lucky we are with the kind of practice facilities we get in international cricket. So go back to being a kid again, remember what it’s like to play on the street. It’s one of the reasons why you look to get into cricket. It’s just pressure and thinking about the game, so just enjoy batting again. That feeling, it just relaxed me. I don’t think I am going to do that anytime soon if there are wickets available but it was quite nice to do that,” he conceded.