England captain Joe Root chasing victory against India despite star man Ben Stokes missing
In the first Test Root enjoyed his best match as a tactician since taking captaincy last year
JOE ROOT is convinced he can turn his wave of confidence into another win — even without Ben Stokes.
In the First Test, Root enjoyed arguably his best match as tactician and inspiration since becoming captain last year.
Several of his bowling changes brought wickets and he appeared in total control during the fraught finale.
Root insists he has taken a surge of self-belief from helping England seize a 31-run victory.
Now, after six defeats in eight Tests, England under Root have racked up back-to-back wins over Pakistan and India.
And the skipper wants more of the same at the Home of Cricket today.
Even a blow while batting in the nets against Chris Woakes yesterday could not disturb Root’s optimism.
His left hand was iced and bandaged but, after a 20-minute interruption, he was able to resume.
Stokes was a key contributor on the final day of the Edgbaston triumph, taking three of the last four wickets including India’s master batsman Virat Kohli.
But, while captain Root attempts to lead his side to a 2-0 series advantage over India, his friend Stokes will be 120 miles away at Bristol Crown Court.
By an ironic twist, the all-rounder and Root’s former vice-captain is expected to begin giving evidence around the time the first ball is delivered in the Second Test.
Root and his players are attempting to ignore Stokes’ trial — despite the welter of headlines — and focus 100 per cent on what is the marquee match of the summer.
Yesterday Root began his press conference by insisting: “Guys, just before we start . . . with Ben’s court case, I’m not allowed to talk about it. So I’d appreciate if you don’t ask questions about it.”
Stokes will be replaced by either Woakes or Moeen Ali with rising Surrey star Ollie Pope making his international bow in place of discarded Middlesex left-hander Dawid Malan.
One-day wicketkeeper Jos Buttler will take Malan’s place at second slip in a new-look cordon featuring Alastair Cook at first slip and Keaton Jennings at third.
Root said: “Winning a tight game fills you with masses of confidence.
“One of the most exciting things about last week is that we weren’t at our best — certainly there are areas we can improve — but we found a way to win under pressure.
“That’s a sign of strong characters in our dressing room. Having had some indifferent results in the recent past, to pull off a win like that is a really good sign for us moving forward.
“To win a close game against the No 1 team in the world as captain fills me with confidence. But it’s about backing it up. I’m looking for consistency in back-to-back games — and this is an opportunity for that.”
Root’s record as captain now reads played 17, won 7, lost 8, drawn 2.
He believes he is improving and has endorsed selections such as the return of Buttler and the inclusion of Adil Rashid, despite his refusal to play red-ball cricket for Yorkshire, as well as young guns in Dom Bess, 21, Sam Curran, 20, and now Pope, 20.
Root added: “It takes a little time to get used to things. There’s been a lot of learning since I got the job with plenty of ups and downs.
“From the start of this summer, I had a clear idea about how we want to go about things and we’re doing that nicely. I feel we’re on a slight upward curve.”
LIKELY LINE-UPS — ENGLAND: Cook, Jennings, Root (capt), Pope, Bairstow (wkt), Buttler, Woakes, Curran, Rashid, Broad, Anderson. INDIA: Vijay, Dhawan, Rahul, Kohli (capt), Rahane, Karthik (wkt), Jadeja, Ashwin, Shami, Ishant, Umesh.