Veteran England player Joe Root felt the Hyderabad pitch was the spinners’ ally after picking up four wickets in the first innings of the ongoing Test against India. The veteran hit in the first over of the second day, dismissing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal for 80. Root then again dismissed India’s wicket-keeper KS Bharat on 41 as well. He also ensured Team India did not add too many on Day 3 by removing their top-scorer Ravindra Jadeja and claiming his fourth wicket with the scalp of Jasprit Bumrah.

Speaking to the broadcasters at stumps on Day 3, Joe Root stated that the pitch had to be bowler-friendly for him to scalp four wickets. “It’s a nice pitch to bowl. For a part-timer like me to pick up four, there has to be something there. More than anything, just pleased with the way we finished things off this morning as a group. It’s how we want to go about things, continuously ask good questions and find ways to take wickets,” said Root.

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The veteran batter also believed England’s fightback on Day 3 would keep them in the game for the rest of the series. Despite being among the most accomplished batters of the generation, Root has shown the tendency to pick up crucial wickets with the ball. He has 64 Test wickets in 136 games, including a five-wicket haul fer during England’s 2020/21 tour of India as well.

“Everything we’ve done today is not just great for this game but for the rest of the series as well. It’s a long hard slog this series and there will be lots of ups and downs. So to have a day like this early on in the tour with so many things to recall on is a really important part for us. It’s nice to be in this position now. It shows a lot about the mentality of this group and how we play our cricket. We never feel out of the game, always looking to find ways to put ourselves in a winning position. And we’ve managed to get ourselves on our way now and it’s about following through tomorrow,” concluded Joe Root.