‘You can only be excited’ - Joe Root opens up about facing India ahead of first test on Friday

Former English captain joe Root is looking forward to the start of five-match series against India which kicks off on Friday. The opening game of the series is set to be played at Root’s home ground at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds. The Yorkshire born batter is just 150 -odd runs shy of scoring 3000 Test runs against India. Root has also hit 10 centuries and 11 fifties against India to show his mastery over the visiting side. 

Joe Root spoke to Sky Sports ahead of the five-game series and was excited to face off against the Indian challenge. Root said “You can only be excited. These are the series you play for. The opportunities in front of us are epic. You know The Ashes is coming and you will be asked about it. People will be trying to relate stuff in the India series to that, but you have a job to do against a brilliant team”

The 34-year-old further added “You look at India's progression as a team across all formats, and they have all bases covered - great seam attack, talented batters and a very strong spin attack. They are going to compete anywhere in the world, but our record at home makes for a fantastic series. We will go into it with confidence but also with a huge amount of respect for what they will bring,"

‘Lucky to play for England’ – Joe Root

It is to be noted that Joe Root made his Test debut in late 2012 for England against India in Nagpur. This was the same series that Alastair Cook and his side famously went onto win against MS Dhoni’s side in their own backyard. In his debut game, Root won the plaudits for showing grit and determination with the bat. The youngster scored 229-ball 73 in the first innings and 20 not out in the second essay. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, the veteran batter said “I am not saying sticks in the ground with a taped-up tennis ball pretending you are at the MCG or Lord's, but waking up, opening the curtains and praying it is not raining so you can play that day and trying to harness those feelings”

“I think how lucky I am to play for England. You play at amazing venues around the world, experiencing different cultures and everything else the sport has to offer - friendships, opportunities. Trying to keep a broad mind on those things is more of a motivator than trying to plan too far ahead. Soak in and enjoy the good times," Root ended by saying.