England’s 277-run defeat of India in the first Test in Chennai was followed by a stern warning from Joe Root that his players must not get carried away by the dominant nature of their performance over the course of five days.
In keeping with the ruthlessness that has been seen in his batting this year – something very much on display when compiling 218 in the first innings of his 100th Test match – Root was minded to temper the hard-earned celebrations with a warning India will surely come back hard.
“We can’t be happy with what we’ve done,” insisted Root, having equalled Michael Vaughan’s record of 26 Test wins as England captain on a final day headlined by a memorable display of reverse-swing from Jimmy Anderson.
“We have to keep looking to get better. We have to keep finding ways of improving. If we do that, we’ll keep challenging the best in the world in their own conditions. We’ve set a benchmark now. Let’s be ruthless and do everything we did well in this game again, better.
“India are a very proud team with a fantastic record at home. They have some wonderful individual players that will be hurting right now and will want to prove a point when they come to play again.”
This was England’s sixth straight win on the road under the head coach, Chris Silverwood, and only India’s second loss in their past 36 matches at home. It meant the tourists take a 1-0 lead in this four-match series before Saturday’s second instalment on the same ground, when crowds are due to return and offer more vocal support for Virat Kohli’s men.
India, fresh from a historic 2-1 win in Australia and favourites going into this series, had gone into the fifth day on 39 for one looking to deliver another defiant rearguard after being set an improbable chase of 420.
They were bowled out for 192 in 46.3 overs by mid-afternoon despite a battling 72 from Kohli that was snuffed out by Ben Stokes, with spinner Jack Leach claiming four for 76.
But it was Anderson’s removal of Shubman Gill and Ajinka Rahane in the space of four balls during the morning session – both players saw their off-stumps sent cartwheeling – that broke India and drew comparisons with a performance the last time England were on Channel 4 in the 2005 Ashes.
Root said: “I can’t think of [a better over] in my time. It reminded me of Andrew Flintoff in ’05 and the impact of that over to Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer [at Edgbaston]. In the context of this game, it was huge.
“When you are looking round in big moments in Test matches and you see someone like Jimmy Anderson, naturally you expect that from him, and Ben Stokes coming on to take the wicket of Virat Kohli.
“Big game players stand up and do special things. It’s a great example for the young guys to see that and want to be a part of that. They’re the big moments you have to grasp if you want to win a series in these conditions against a side as good as India.”
Root and Silverwood have a potential head-scratcher before the second Test following such an evergreen performance from the 38-year-old Anderson with the former dubbing him “The GOAT” and “a credit to English cricket”.
Stuart Broad is currently waiting in the wings as part of a plan that has the experienced pair rotate for one spot this winter, while one change is certain given the much-debated decision to fly Jos Buttler home for a rest period and allow Ben Foakes a chance to step up behind the stumps once more.
Root said: “We have options, that’s the beauty of how we have gone about things this winter. I think it is really important that we look after our players and everyone comes into the games fit, fresh and able to deliver their skills at 100%.
“Those guys who get the chance to play – it is everybody’s responsibility to throw everything into that performance for five days. If it is somebody’s turn to sit out and have a rest, then so be it.”
Kohli, smarting from his fourth successive defeat as India captain after paternity leave saw him hand the reins to Rahane in Australia, bemoaned his side’s batting in their first innings – 337 all out in reply to England’s 578 – but urged any critics not to “jump to conclusions” so early in the series.
“What’s said on the outside, what is being perceived and discussed doesn’t bother us at all,” he added, before pointing out that India’s only defeat on home soil since England’s 2-1 win here in 2012 – a surprise 333-run loss to Australia in Pune four years ago – was followed by his side coming back to claim the spoils.
A repeat of that 2-1 series win will mean India would join New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship in June, while England still need two more wins to usurp them.
A tighter win England, or a drawn series, will lead to Australia qualifying despite recently cancelling their tour of South Africa.
