Sri Lanka Test series sweep a boost for India tour: England skipper Root

England’s performances in sweeping the Test series in Sri Lanka gives the team a major lift for their four Test series in India, said victorious captain Joe Root after Monday’s second test win.

England won by six wickets at the Galle International Stadium to add to last week’s seven wicket success over Sri Lanka but face a much more daunting task in India, where the first Test in Chennai begins early next month.

“We’ve got a huge amount of confidence coming out of these games. We’ve had to manage different situations and all of that will stand us in good stead,” Root told a virtual news conference.

“The challenge now is to look to replicate this over and over as a team. We can look at this as a platform, as a starting position.”

England overcame some nervy moments to reach their 164-run target to win the final Test, getting the better of a difficult and deteriorating wicket with Dom Sibley and Joss Buttler putting together an unbeaten 75-run partnership.

“Those two guys saw us home in impressive style,” the captain added.

“These wins are most important for us and the most pleasing thing for me is that for large portions, we were chasing the game.

“But for us to dig in and not allow them to get away from us was very impressive. But more anything the way we dealt with the pressure, both in the field and with the bat.

“We lost the toss in both games but managed to find a way to win in very difficult conditions, with very little lead up to the series as well. In the past, we’ve been guilty of being slow starters, be it home or away, so for us to start as well as this is really pleasing.”

The England team face a period of quarantine upon entry to India ahead of the series, but Root said the measures had not fazed the squad.

“We’re gonna have seven or eight days with no cricket, six days in quarantine and then three very important days of prep ahead of the series,” he said.

“But what we have got is a huge amount of confidence coming out of these two games.”

The win was England’s second successive Test whitewash in Sri Lanka after the tourists won all three matches in the island nation in 2018.

England have also won five straight Tests away from home as they got past hosts South Africa in the final three matches of a four-match series to triumph 3-1 in January last year.

“Definitely progress. As I mentioned before this game, we have in the past struggled in away conditions,” said Root.

“For us to be able to turn that round, find ways of consistently taking 20 wickets is really impressive. We have just got to stay hungry and keep looking to get better.”

England though will be without Jonny Bairstow for the opening two India Tests as part of the team’s rest and rotate policy for its players during the coronavirus pandemic.

Buttler, who scored 55 and an unbeaten 46 in the second match, will return home after the first Test.

Root said the team, which will be boosted by the return of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, will have to keep up with player rotation in these uncertain times.

“We always want our best players there as often as possible, because of the world we’re in right now it’s not feasible and we have to manage that the best we can,” said Root.

“But he’s still got an opportunity to affect the series and sure he’ll be desperate to keep up the good form.”

The first two Tests of the series, which could be key in deciding the finalists of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, will be played in empty stadiums.

Agencies