Ahead of the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval in London, starting Friday September 7, Joe Root has said that a 4-1 scoreline will be a strong statement about English Test cricket, .
England have already taken an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the series, but their skipper wants to go the extra mile by winning the fifth Test to finish on a high.
“My full focus has been on making sure we win this game. It’s been an area we’ve not got right in the past and to beat the No.1 side in the world and make it 4-1 would send a really strong statement of where we are at as a team and where we are looking to go as a team. It would sum up a good summer of cricket for us in difficult conditions,” he said on the eve of the encounter.
Jonny Bairstow suffered a finger injury that prevented him from keeping wickets in the fourth Test, where he played as a specialist batsman. However, the right-hander is now back to full fitness and will take up his usual role behind the stumps in the final Test, replacing Jos Buttler.
“Jonny’s been the Test keeper for a long time now and has done a fantastic job. It’s not a reflection on the way Jos went about things in the last game at all,” said Root.
“But long-term, you look at the scheduling of all international cricket across the formats, and sharing that workload could be really key in terms of keeping everyone fresh and ready and at the top of their game. I think it’s a great way for those two guys to drive each other’s games forward as well. We’re very fortunate to be in the position where we have two quality keepers.”
