For Pope to be a No4 for England
the Lord’s nets yesterday. “I’m absolutely fine – it’s just one of those annoyances the day before a game,” said Root. “I managed to bat on and get my practice done, so no worries there.”
England will head into this match with confidence after edging a tense series opener against the world’s No 1-ranked team by 31 runs at Edgbaston last week.
It provided a much-needed injection of self-belief after a 1-1 draw against Pakistan this summer and a run of five defeats in seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand last winter.
“It fills you with masses of confidence,” said Root. “One of the most exciting things about last week is that we weren’t at our best but we found a way to win under pressure and wrestle momentum back in our favour.
“That’s a sign of some strong characters in our dressing room. And having had some indifferent results in the recent past, to pull off a win like that is a really good sign for us moving forward.”
That result in Birmingham was also critical for Root’s self-belief as captain.
“To win a close game fills me with confidence going into the rest of the series,” he said. “But it’s about backing it up now. This is an opportunity to do that.”
India captain Virat Kohli, who scored 149 and 51 as he threatened to win the game for his team at Edgbaston, will be the biggest barrier to England doubling their lead in the five-match series at Lord’s. Root, whose side dropped Kohli on 21 and 51 during his first-innings century, said: “It shows when you give the best players opportunities, they don’t need many more.
“It’s nice to know we are doing the right things, but it’s about taking those chances when they come.”