ENG vs IND | ‘There was absolute clarity and belief’ - Joe Root reacts to England’s record 378-run chase

Former England captain Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow added an unbeaten 269-run stand to help their side achieve a record chase of 378 against India in the Edgbaston Test. Root remained unbeaten on 141* from 173 balls, his fifth ton in 2022 and fourth in the series.

The right-handed batsman, who played risk-free cricket over the final two days of the Test, said that England were always sure about any target India would set, which was anticipated to reach 400 at one point.

Speaking in the post-match presentation, Root said, "Love playing. It's as simple as that. The environment has been great and the guys are having fun in the last four weeks. There is absolute clarity when we were chasing it down and there was total belief.

“Absolutely didn't think of stepping away from the game. There are a bunch of lovely lads and Stokes has the backing of everyone. Our responsibility is to keep everyone entertained and keep it fun."

The current number one Test batter in the ICC Rankings has scored 927 runs from nine matches in 2022 and is just behind countryman Jonny Bairstow, who leads with 994 runs.

He talked about his form, which has been phenomenal since 2021.

"It is something you are constantly searching for and something you rarely find. You want to keep it as fun as possible. Still watching Jonny bat is great, I just wanted to give him strike. I have accepted that you aren't going to have success all the time. As a 5-10 year old kid, having fun is what you want and that is what is the most enjoyable part of the career," he added.

It is the third Test in a row that England have chased down massive targets under new-coach Brendon McCullum.

Root highlighted the importance of Alex Lees and Zak Crawley's partnership on Day 4, where the pair added 107 runs for the opening wicket.

"We have been riding a brilliant wave of confidence after brilliant performances against NZ. The start the two openers got us off to was superb and they put the pressure back on. It made it a lot more easier for us and those scores were a lot more than what was seen on the score sheet. It was great fun doing it," he concluded.

Root was announced as the player of the series in the Pataudi Trophy, scoring 737 runs from 5 Tests with four hundred.

Leads the 'Fab Four' pack

Talking about Root, he has the most hundreds (28) in red ball amongst the so-called 'Fab Four', which includes Virat Kohli (27), Steve Smith (27), and Kane Williamson (24).

Interestingly, Root was on 17 when cricket resumed in 2021.