What had promised to be an intriguing end with India chasing 209 for victory after Root's century had kept England in the match ended up as a washout at Trent Bridge; Watch the second Test between England and India at Lord's from Thursday, August 12 from 10am on Sky Sports Cricket.
Monday 9 August 2021 06:04, UK
England captain Joe Root believes the only winner was the weather after the final day of the first Test against India was rained off at Trent Bridge.
What had promised to be an intriguing end with India chasing 209 for victory after Root's century had kept England in the match ended up as a washout.
And although India arguably had a slight advantage needing 157 runs with nine wickets in hand to go 1-0 up in the five-test series, Root believes anything could still have happened.
"The weather's robbed us of what could have been a very entertaining final day," he said.
"I would have been lying if I didn't say India were in the driving seat going into today but on a wicket like that, you get a couple in a cluster and the game can turn on its head.
"At one stage we had the potential chance of 40 overs which would have made for a tasty end to what has been a great test match to play in.
"We believed we could have pushed for the win today, it's just a shame the weather won today."
Of the 486 runs England made in the match, Root managed 173 of them with his display holding up a brittle top order with the side also spilling a number of catches.
Although the England captain knows his side must improve, he feels there were signs of improvement as the test progressed.
"I think we grew into the game, after the first innings we were well below par but that being said, I still think we bowled really well," Root added.
"There were a few glimpses of what we're capable of with the batting in the second innings and we played with better intent.
"We'd obviously want to score more runs at the top of the order, we want to take all the chances that we create and make our life a little bit easier.
"We know there's things to work on and there's areas we need to be better at and we need to make big first innings runs.
"But we're capable of doing it and it's the big partnerships that we didn't quite get in the second innings but I think you saw a better tempo and hopefully we can carry that forward into the second Test."
Injuries and Covid restrictions have not helped England find a stable line-up with Jofra Archer being ruled out for the rest of the year a particular blow.
On Archer's absence, Root said: "I'm absolutely gutted for Jofra (Archer) - he's come in for some harsh criticism which I think is unwarranted.
"He's clearly been battling with a severe injury and I really hope he can get himself fit and healthy again soon.
"At times it looked like he was bowling through a lot of pain and hopefully he can come through some hard rehab and show everyone what a fantastic player he is because he is going to be a serious performer for England across the board, there's no doubt about it.
"When he's fit and at his best he is going to win many test matches moving forward."
Watch the second Test between England and India at Lord's from Thursday, August 12 from 10am on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event.
