“I Have High Expectations Of Myself,” Says Root Ahead of Ind-Eng 5th Test

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India] : Ahead of the fifth and final Test match between India and England in Dharamshala, star English batter Joe Root said that he has “high expectations” from himself.

After taking part in the first four Test matches, Root has scored 210 runs with an average of 30.00 and a strike rate of 45.16. He slammed 17 fours and 1 overhead boundary after appearing in 8 innings.

Root accepted that he failed to display his best performance in the first four Test matches against India.

“I have high expectations of myself and until that last Test match, I was way below where I want to be,” Root said on the Sky Sports podcast.

The 33-year-old felt that he did not contribute as much as he wanted to and also scored much fewer runs than he expected.

“I felt short of runs, I felt like I’d not contributed how I’d expect myself to and how I wanted to coming into the tour – it’s a part of the world I love batting in and I’ve had previous success here,” he added.

Talking about his 122-run knock against India in Ranchi, Root said that someone had to be “constant” while batting.

“I tried to just play the game in front of me. I looked at that situation and those conditions there [in Ranchi], and it didn’t need anything flamboyant. It needed someone to be a constant throughout and try to keep a calm feel to things,” he added.

England’s stalwart batter added that he will continue playing the way he thinks is best for him, even if other people have their own opinions.

“People will have their own opinions on how I’ve got out through this series and what is best for me. I will continue playing the way I think is best for any given situation. No-one knows my game as well as I do,” he further added.

England will face India on Thursday in the final Test of the five-match series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala.

India have an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series following their five-wicket win in Ranchi.