Ind vs Eng Test series | Ben did so much for me, now it`s my turn: Joe Root

Joe Root, who has been enjoying his rich vein of form, has stated that it is his time to pay back everything to Ben Stokes, who has done so much for him. England are all geared up to clash against India in the five-match Test series.

“Ben did so much for me as my vice-captain, now it`s my turn to give a bit back to him. It was difficult and weird coming back into the team after being leader. I didn`t want to get in Ben`s way or step on his toes, but I wanted him to know I was there to support him,” Root told Sky Sports.

“I knew a big part of that was scoring runs. I wanted to make sure I could affect games with the bat, and clearly, if I was following his lead as a former captain, it sends a strong message to anyone coming into the team or not as established as myself,” he added.

Ahead of the series, the right-hander will continue to chase Sachin Tendulkar`s record of 15,921 runs in the longest format of the game.

Along with Tendulkar, Root will also look to surpass Rahul Dravid, who has the best batting average among the players who have played the India-England Test series. So far, Root has played 153 matches and has scored 13,006 runs with a batting average of 50.80.

Considering his dominance against India, nothing is impossible for in-form Root in the upcoming five-match Test series. So far, having played 30 Test matches against India, he has scored 2,846 runs with an average of 58.08. He also has 10 centuries and 11 half-centuries, with a top score of 218 runs.

The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord`s and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).

Ind vs Eng Test series: England squad

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

(With ANI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day