England Test skipper Joe Root thanked his counterpart, Virat Kohli, who helped Root out by stretching his leg after the conclusion of the 87th over during the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
During the third session of the day, Root suffered a cramp after slog-sweeping Ravichandran Ashwin for a maximum. Kohli showcased his sportsmanship and helped out the opponent skipper.
“Yeah, I am ready for more tomorrow…hopefully get back, a bit frustrating, very kind of Virat (Kohli) to help me out (with cramps), good sportsmanship from him…It’s just like a long day and then after a few overs I get some fluids and cooled down,” Root said in the press conference on Friday.
Playing his 100th Test, the elegant right-hander crafted an unbeaten 128 in Chennai, battling cramps towards the end of the opening day’s play at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Root’s spin masterclass was a continuation of the red-hot form of a batsman who had scored a double hundred and a big century in his previous two tests in Sri Lanka.
Root won an important toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat, avoiding the potentially tricky task of batting in the fourth innings on a crumbling wicket.
“Certainly I feel like I’m in good form and I need to make sure I cash in on that,” Root told a video conference after his “very special” knock put England in a commanding position against India.
