Joe Root expects England to learn from a Test series defeat to India in which he admits mistakes may have been made with selection.
India hammered the tourists by an innings and 25 runs on day three of the fourth and final match of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium to secure a 3-1 victory.
The brilliant Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin took five wickets apiece to bowl England out for only 135 in their second innings and secure a place in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
England face a home series versus India before travelling to Australia for the Ashes in a hectic schedule this year.
Root says there were positives to take from a series they started with such an impressive victory following a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka and expects his side to show a positive response to the defeat.
Asked if the loss could leave any lasting scars, the captain said: “I think first and foremost, time will look after that and it’s a great opportunity to play a lot of cricket between now and then. I also think we’ve got to remember a lot of the good things we’ve done on this trip.
“To be out for six games and perform excellently in four and still in these last couple of games there have been a lot of things we’ve done excellently. It has been disappointing and frustrating to finish the series on the low that we have, but we’ve got to keep looking forward as a team.
“We’ve got to make sure that we keep working as hard as we are and that’s one thing I’m very proud of, the work ethic and willingness to learn and get better in these conditions.
“That’s all we can ask for from the guys. Keep looking to upskill themselves, keeping looking to take the experience from these guys and better themselves. As long as we do that we will become a better team.
“I think that’s going to be a very important aspect of dealing with what is to come in the next 12 months.”
Well played, @BCCI
Congrats on your performance and Test series victory.
We look forward to hosting you later this summer.
#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/MnzvbyfbF1
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 6, 2021
Root accepted England may have got it wrong with some of their selections but there is no point in dwelling on that.
The skipper said: “It’s easy to look at selection in hindsight when things haven’t gone our way. It’s obviously something that will be looked at. At times the wickets may not have played as we thought they would have.
“We might not have read them as well as you would want to, but that is part and parcel of the game and as captain, and as a team you have to take on the chin.
“You have to understand every now and again you are going to make mistakes. It’s easy to look back now and say that was the case.”