Joe Root keeps defying convention as England turn Test cricket on its head | Andy Bull

Former captain made chasing a big total look straightforward against India as Stokes’s side revel in a new way of thinking

You won’t win Test matches playing like that. You can’t walk down the wicket and hit Mohammed Shami through midwicket, not in his first over. And you shouldn’t try to reverse-scoop Shardul Thakur for six either, even if you are on 120 at the time. Don’t get caught at mid-off the very next ball after you’ve been dropped there, especially when you’re the captain and your team are 267 runs behind. You ought not to have three slips in for Rishabh Pant when he’s 100 not out and running away with the game. You won’t beat India if you’re 132 runs behind after your first innings.

And, while you might try, you’re not going to chase 378 on the fifth day, not on this pitch, not against this attack.