By Dominic Farrell
Joe Root believes there is plenty more to come from England as they look to secure victory over India in the Investec Test series.
Yorkshire batsman Root scored his third half-century in as many matches as Alastair Cook’s side made it back-to-back victories at Emirates Old Trafford, having opened the five-match rubber with a ton at Trent Bridge.
England now have the chance to complete a sensational turnaround at the Kia Oval from Friday, having fallen behind in the series courtesy of a dispiriting loss at Lord’s last month.
The response to that reverse is something Root is understandably proud of.
“Obviously you come out of the two games like that where we’ve played some really, really strong cricket and there’s a lot of confidence,” he told the ECB Audioboo.
“A lot of guys are putting in some really strong performances and as a side we’ve pulled really tight.
“We needed to do that after Lord’s - that obviously was not a very good performance as a team - and I think we’ve done that exceptionally well.
“The key now is to go into Friday and make sure that we continue to do that, build on what we’ve done and remember it’s just the start of where we want to be.”
The still babyfaced Root finds himself in the unlikely position of being one of the more senior players in the current England line-up.
Four of the XI on duty at the Ageas Bowl and in Manchester made their debut in the longest format this summer, while Gary Ballance and Chris Woakes had just one Test cap apiece when the domestic season began.
“We’re an improving side, we want to keep developing and become a really good Test team. We can’t rest on just two Test wins,” Root said.
“We’ve been doing a lot of good things this summer throughout it all. It’s obviously quite a new team, there’s been a lot of new faces come into it and guys have had to do slightly different jobs to what they’ve been used to.
“It’s coming together nicely. Sometimes these things take a bit of time. We’ve stayed really tight as a team.
“We’re going to have to continue to do that. I think we’re going in the right direction.”
One man doing a slightly different job to the one he might have envisaged at the highest level is Moeen Ali.
Prolific run-scoring over recent seasons for Worcestershire was the major factor in bringing the stylish left-hander to the attentions of the selectors and his steely unbeaten century against Sri Lanka at Headingley in June underlined his pedigree.
But Moeen is also England’s main spin option - complementing a four-pronged seam attack - and he has flourished in the role spectacularly during recent weeks, with 19 wickets to his name in the current series.
"At the moment, I think it's my bowling that's keeping me in the team," he said.
"It is nice when I come on to bowl and the crowd are cheering... at first, I wasn't sure if it was because they were going to see more runs.
"After the first Test at Trent Bridge, where I went for quite a few runs, I sat down and analysed it and felt the need for change."
Ian Bell’s mentoring role with Moeen over recent months, encouraging the off-spinner to increase his pace in Tests, has been well-documented.
But the 27-year-old also sought the counsel of umpire Kumar Dharmasena and the former Sri Lanka spinner revealed a valuable trick of the trade.
"I went into the nets and the umpire Kumar Dharmasena was there, and I asked him 'as a former off-spinner, how can I bowl quicker without it being flat?'" Moeen explained.
"He said to me 'just grab your pocket as quickly as you can with your non-bowling arm’. As soon as I bowled one ball I knew it would work. That, for some reason, allows me to bowl quicker and straighter without being flat."
"I don't want to get carried away. But I do feel I've taken a big step towards being a decent Test spinner," he said.
"I feel like I have more control, and that my captain and team-mates can trust me. I don't know how I'm getting these wickets but I'm happy to.”
Thankfully for Moeen and England, the India batsmen seem to be at a similar loss when it comes to finding a way to play him successfully.