At least Joe Root was able to smile when he was reminded England would be doing Australia a huge favour by beating India and salvaging a drawn series from this toughest of Test assignments. Victory for England in the final Test which starts on Thursday would not only be a notable achievement for Root after their trial by spin in the last two chastening matches. It would also eliminate India from the World Test Championship and send the old enemy to this summer's final instead. 'I would see it as ending with a drawn series and doing something special in India. England captain Joe Root has carried an upbeat demeanour throughout a demanding winter'Unfortunately, we can't qualify for the final now but a draw would be a fantastic achievement and that's all I can really say as an England captain.'

Source: Daily Mail March 02, 2021 22:31 UTC