It’s a “bit educational” for us, England captain Joe Root admitted after being “outbid” by India in the second test as he implores his players to quickly learn their lessons, including some of the hosts.
Spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin shared the spoils to crush England by 317 runs and bring their team back into contention for the World Test Championship final with the series leveling victory.
“It is a bit educational. We have to learn quickly from this because sometimes these are the conditions you are faced with, ”Root said at the post-match press conference.
He refused to believe it is the end of the road for England’s prospects in the four-game series, drawing inspiration from their performances in the recent past.
“As I said after the last game, it is very important that we are level. We don’t stray too far from our position when we win and we don’t see it as a nightmare when we have tough weeks like this time.
“We have played really good cricket in the recent past, in challenging conditions, very strange conditions, and let’s be honest, we have been outmatched in all three departments this week.”
“We looked at how they have done things on a surface that has rotated a lot, it also probably bounced more than we anticipated, but let’s move on, take it as an apprenticeship and make sure we are better at the next. time.”
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Chepauk’s field has drawn a lot of attention with spinning legend Shane Warne, defending the 22-yard spinning strip, exchanging words with former England captain Michael Vaughan.
“It was challenging terrain. Throwing was important to winning, but it wouldn’t guarantee a win either.
“India proved that runs can be scored with him and found a way to handle the tough surface. We have to learn from that and take part in India, ”added the England Test captain.
Despite the punishing loss, Root said they were still in the series.
“We are still very much in the series. We played three brilliant games coming into the test match. We are very alive and kicking, ”he said.
Root said bowlers needed to put constant pressure on opposition hitters, adding that players have been good at learning quickly and would need to.
“As a bowling group, we have talked about constantly building pressure. We could have done better. That is something we can carry on for the rest of the tour.
“On the other hand, our hitters need to learn to rotate the strike better on challenging surfaces.
“We have been very good at learning fast. It is important that we move forward with that. Not many times guys would have hit on a surface like this, “he said.
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On all-rounder Ben Stokes, who didn’t make much of an impact in the second test, Root said he was fine and it was a tactical decision not to make him bowling.
“Stokes is fine and fit to play. It was a tactical decision not to throw more than the two overs he made. Due to the wicket, there was a minimal amount of bowling in the seam throughout the game.
“Then Ben will be fine. Zak Crawley is improving all the time. It seems to be improving and they are good signs, “he added.
Root said Jonny Bairstow and Crawley, who was recovering from injury, will be available for selection in the third round, which will begin in Ahmedabad on February 24.
The skipper said he has no regrets about leaving spinner Dom Bess, who pitched well in Test 1, out for Game 2.
“I don’t regret not playing Dom Bess. You can look at various things when you lose. Dom will benefit from the time he had off the field. He will return as a better player.
“It’s an easy excuse to make as we have a very talented team at the moment,” he said.
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