Due to their lack of 50-over game experience, Joe Root claimed that his younger England teammates were having to “learn on the job” in one-day international cricket.
In the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday, England defeated India by four wickets to level a three-match campaign at 1-1, with veteran batsman Root scoring his second fifty of the series and displaying his timeless class with a chanceless unbeaten 99.
However, England had lost 14 of their previous 20 ODIs prior to this morale-boosting victory, which sets up a series decider at Lord’s on Sunday.
The One-Day Cup and the Hundred are contested concurrently in domestic cricket, and many of England’s rising stars do not receive the same level of 50-over cricket training as players of Root’s generation.
“I think that’s one of the biggest challenges for this team and the young guys coming through,” AFP quoted Root, 35, telling reporters at Sophia Gardens.
“Not just now, but in the next little while, anyone coming into this team does not have the wealth of experience and understanding of 50-over cricket because we are not exposed to it any more.
“There is not that element of grounding that happens before you get to this level, which happens elsewhere around the world, so it’s understanding that there are going to be times where guys have to learn on the job and they have to learn quickly.”
As the first England batsman to hit 99 not out in an ODI, Root faced 133 balls. His innings was a far cry from the spectacle of England’s 2019 50-over World Cup winning squad.
But Root, who played in that side, said: “You’ve got to be brave and know that you can absorb pressure, because you have always got more time than you think and you can really make things up.
“Some guys will get out their tricks, sometimes you’ll be on a pitch where 400 is a par score which can happen.”
He added: “But the hardest bit for guys coming through in English cricket is that when you find yourself in a situation like that, a wicket like that, can you find a way of doing it ugly and just getting over the line?”
Before Gus Atkinson blasted three fours and a six in his undefeated 23, Root was on track to reach his 21st ODI century.
“I told him (Atkinson) to just get it done,” said Root after England recovered from 94-4 and 125-5 to beat the world’s number one ODI side.
“It’s all about winning and there’s no better feeling in cricket than being there at the end when you chase something down.”
Fast bowler Jofra Archer’s “exceptional” England attack, which held India to 233 all out, was again commended by Root.
In order to automatically qualify for the ODI World Cup in southern Africa next year, England must maintain their present place of ninth in the ODI rankings.
But Root said England’s win on Thursday had been “a lot to take forward against the number one team in the world”.
“For us to be going to Lord’s with everything to play for, have a high pressure game, and have that experience to bank and look back on, ahead of a World Cup is great,” he said.
