England batsman Joe Root spoke about his innings in the fourth Test of the ongoing series against India in Ranchi. He said that he played according to conditions and also admitted that he was tempted to play in reverse scoop when he was 96 years old.

Joe Root has put England in the commanding position in the ongoing match against India in Ranchi. Opting to bat first, the visitors were falling at 112/5 and it looked like their innings would end early. But when it mattered most, Root stepped up and changed the situation of the game.

Joe Root, who had a series of low scores under his belt, stood tall for his team and scored a magnificent century. He batted extremely well and made no mistake in his innings. The batsman made sure to take his team to a decent total on the board.

Making Indian bowlers look clueless, Joe Root scored his 31st Test century off 219 balls and became the first batsman in the history of the game to score 10 Test hundreds against India. He remained unbeaten on 122 runs off 174 balls and helped his team finish with 353 runs on the board.

Joe Root, who was heavily criticized for taking a reverse wicket in the last match, said he thought about playing it again but it was not a great option as the wicket remained low. He added that he was desperate to get runs for his team and is delighted he did. In statements to the stations, he explained:

“We had a good couple of days. That’s how I actually play every game, I play according to the situation and conditions (when I was asked if I had made a conscious effort to play attrition cricket). It seems that the playing field will continue to deteriorate.

“I must admit it did cross my mind (playing reverse-scoring when I was on 96) but it wasn’t a great option as the wicket was kept low, unlike the previous wicket. He was desperate to get some runs for the boys and was happy to be able to do it today.”

It was great to see him continue attacking the batsmen – Joe Root on Shoaib Bashir

Joe Root spoke more about his bowling and said that captain Ben Stokes can use him as much as possible. He also lavished high praise on young spinner Shoaib Bashir, saying it was fantastic to see him attacking the batsmen hard. He added:

“I used him (Stokes with the ball) quite a bit when I was captain and he can do the same with me. Seeing the two young spinners perform like this is encouraging for England cricket.

“I hadn’t seen much of him (Bashir) before this series but he’s a great character and has a sense of humour, it was great to see him keep attacking the batsmen.”

Shoaib Bashir has helped England take control of the ongoing match. The spinner has bowled tremendously well in the game and has put pressure on the Indian batsmen. He picked four wickets on Day 2 and would like to add more to his tally. On Day 2, India were 219/7 and still trail England by 134 runs.