Joe Root’s hundred in his first one-day international at his Yorkshire home ground laid the platform for England’s much-needed 41-run win over India at Headingley on Friday.
India still won the series 3-1 but England’s victory in the finale meant they avoided being whitewashed.
Root’s 113 was the cornerstone of England’s 294 for seven — their best ODI total of the season and a vast improvement on their 206 all out in a nine-wicket defeat by India at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
India faltered in their pursuit of 295, with Ravindra Jadeja’s dashing 87 at number seven too late to turn the tide and when he was last man out they had been dismissed for 253. “We played really well, we know what we can do,” England captain Alastair Cook told the BBC.
“One good game in four isn’t good enough. Joe Root played fantastically well. He went on and a couple of other guys supported him. That’s what we’ve been trying to do.”
Meanwhile Root said: “It’s nice to get a win. It was tough to start with but once you got used to the wicket it got easier.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2014.
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