"We're going through a rough patch... but there are strong characters": Joe Root addresses England batting woes

JAMES COYNE: Joe Root insisted the disparity between his run-scoring and everyone else in the England team is not getting him down as his century gave them a sniff at Trent Bridge

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Joe Root insisted the batting problems of his team-mates is not weighing him down at this stressful time in English cricket. 

The England captain summoned one of his finest innings to turn around a parlous position into one where his side are defending 209 on the last day to win the first LV= Insurance Test match at Trent Bridge. 

Root is now the first man in the world to go past 1,000 runs in the calendar year in Test cricket, but the next highest for England is Dan Lawrence, back on 354 – and he could lose his place for the next match at Lord’s. England have not won a Test since the first match of the series in India. 

When asked if this was weighing him down, Root said: “Erm, no – I’m just trying to go out there and score as many runs as I can. So is everyone else. They’re doing everything they can to work on their game and drive this side forward by scoring big totals. 

“We’re going through quite a rough patch at the moment. But there’s some strong characters in that dressing room and they’re going to have to be strong characters, because we have to start getting better – turning starts into good scores. In terms of my own form, it feels very good. I just want to keep it going. 

“This morning I said to myself and the group that as batters, scoring runs and being out there batting, can be hard, but ultimately it’s fun. It’s important we all embrace that, no matter the conditions. It’s important we go out there and enjoy the moment.” 

Root certainly did enjoy the moment of bringing up his 21st Test century, after a skittish period in the 90s when he came close to getting out with the match on the line. 

“I was probably a little bit too excited [in my celebraton]. I really enjoyed the atmosphere within the ground. The five or 10 minutes leading into the hundred was a bit hairy – a few lbw shouts or smacking the ball to the fielders.

^{Joe Root celebrates his century}

“It probably looked like I was trying to get myself out, but I really wasn’t. There was a little bit of relief in that respect. Just getting us into that situation was a chance to thank you to everyone in the ground, my wife and my team-mates. 

“I think more than anything with where we were in the game, to get a good score on the board was really pleasing.” 

Many people believe the white-ball overload in the heart of the English summer – up a notch this year with the coming of The Hundred, in which Root plays for the Trent Bridge-based side Trent Rockets – is damaging Test cricket. 

But Root says the chance he got for England in the one-day series against Sri Lanka has rejuvenated his Test game. He says a few technical changes brought in to play ODI cricket has transferred well into Test cricket. 

“I’ve changed a few things. It would have been nice to have some red-ball cricket coming into this game, but I feel a real benefit of playing some white-ball cricket, playing 50-over cricket gave me rhythm back into my batting. 

“I’m standing a lot taller a lot earlier, picking my bat up a lot earlier and feeling like I’ve got some rhythm back in my hands. So for me I find 50-over cricket can really help my red-ball game. 

“I’ve not played it a lot lately, apart from those three games we had against Sri Lanka. That was a big factor. Now it feels good again and it’s about trying to keep that going. 

“I’ve felt pretty good throughout this whole game. I feel like I’ve got my rhythm back. I’ve worked very hard at that over a period of time now.” 

^{Root made his 21st Test century on Saturday}

As England’s lead rose words were exchanged between Mohammed Siraj and the England batsmen – to the extent that even the India captain Virat Kohli warned his young seamer to calm down, and umpire Michael Gough spoke to Siraj when he sought out James Anderson on coming out to bat at No.11. 

Root said: “Well, yeah, I didn’t get anything [sledging]. I had quite a nice conversation with him. He kept telling me how well he was bowling and I agreed. And I think that was the gist with Sam [Curran] and Jonny [Bairstow] as well. It created a good atmosphere in the crowd, and it was good to have that at a ground like Trent Bridge where you really feel the crowd gets involved.” 

Root suggested that the key to an England victory will be clinging onto chances – at the moment England are 10th in world cricket in terms of catches held on to. 

“As always you want more runs to play with,” he said. “Through the whole game there’s been periods where clusters of wickets have fallen. It certainly feels like there’s nine chances out there tomorrow and we’ve just got to make sure we catch very well when those chances come. There’s plenty in that wicket. With targets like 150-160, sometimes it seems to grow and get a lot bigger. 

“We’ve got to be really good in the field and take those chances. The belief has to be there.”