England skipper Joe Root stated that the home side would love to make serious impact on the world’s number one Test side. He also said that his side has strong plans against opposition captain Virat Kohli who will be under immense pressure leading into the series.
The Test number four batsman for India had scored just 134 runs in five Test matches against England in 2014 when India succumbed to a humiliating 3-1 defeat against English boys.
Also read: England vs India: Virat Kohli out to conquer past hoodoo
“From our perspective, we’d love similar form but we know how good a player he is and what he is capable of. He’s come a long way in the last few years in this format in particular. We feel we have some strong plans in place for him but ultimately when you play against the world’s best players they generally have answers,” said Joe Root.
The 27 year old also stated that this will be a high voltage series with talented players on show from both sides. It will be nothing short of a festival for fans across England and viewers around the world.
“I’m sure there are a lot of England fans out there that love watching him play. We obviously know he’s a world proven performer in this format and it’ll be very important for us to try and keep him quiet. But there are some other good players on show within these two teams and it’s important we make sure we outperform India as a whole, he added.
Joe Root also said that being at home doesn’t make them favourites as the team that plays better cricket will triumph. Moreover, the previous series wasn’t a good one for the home side as Pakistan drew series 1-1 against England.
“It doesn’t matter if we are favourites, we have to play the best cricket if we want to win. We have had two disappointing series so far in terms of results but I thought the way we came back at Headingley against Pakistan was a real starting point for this group and something to build on long term,” he said.