Kohli and Root left frustrated by the rain as ‘blockbuster’ series starts with a draw

No
play
was
possible
on
Sunday
in
Nottingham
due
to
bad
weather,
with
India
having
been
due
to
resume
their
second
innings
on
52-1
in
pursuit
of
a
target
of
209.

Rohit
Sharma
and
Cheteshwar
Pujara
had
helped
the
tourists
come
through
a
tricky
14-over
spell
late
on
day
four,
the
only
setback
for
India
being
the
departure
of
KL
Rahul
for
26.

Despite
the
disappointment
on
not
being
able
to
capitalise
on
the
opportunity
to
push
for
victory,
Kohli
was
pleased
with
the
way
his
team
had
performed
at
the
start
of
the
five-match
series.

“We
were
expecting
rain
on
days
three
and
four,
then
it
chooses
to
arrive
on
day
five,”
Kohli
lamented
in
his
post-match
interview
with
Sky
Sports.

“We
thought
we
were
in
a
good
position
to
have
a
crack
at
the
target.
It
would
have
been
a
really
nice,
interesting
day
of
Test
cricket,
one
that
would
have
been
enjoyable
to
watch
and
certainly
enjoyable
to
be
a
part
of,
so
it’s
a
shame.

“This
is
exactly
what
we
wanted
to
do
–
we
wanted
to
start
strong.
Heading
into
day
five,
we
felt
like
we
had
our
chances
in
front
of
us.

“One
good
partnership
and
you
know
what
happens
when
there’s
only
150-odd
to
defend.

“It
certainly
felt
like
we
were
on
top
in
the
game,
we
bowled
well
enough
and
batted
well
enough
to
stay
in
the
contest,
then
getting
that
lead
was
crucial.”

Root
had
made
sure
India
did
not
have
a
straightforward
task
batting
last,
his
21st
Test
century
giving
England’s
bowlers
something
to
work
with.
He
had
faith
in
his
attack
to
create
opportunities,
too,
only
for
persistent
downpours
to
put
paid
to
the
home
side’s
hopes.

“It
was
a
great
Test
match.
I
think
the
weather
has
robbed
us
of
what
could
have
been
a
very
exciting
final
day,”
Root
told
Sky
Sports.

“It
bodes
well
for
the
rest
of
the
series.
Hopefully
we
can
take
some
of
the
good
stuff
out
of
this
week
into
the
rest
of
it.

“Having
spent
a
lot
of
time
on
that
wicket,
it
felt
like
there
were
going
to
be
nine
opportunities
within
play.
It
was
just
making
sure
we
were
smart
to
get
the
game
to
go
long
enough.

“It
felt
like
there
was
going
to
be
that
opportunity
there,
it’s
just
a
shame
the
weather
won
today.”

Root
pipped
Jasprit
Bumrah
to
the
player
of
the
match
award,
the
latter
having
taken
nine
wickets
in
the
contest
as
India’s
decision
to
pick
just
the
one
spinner
worked
out.

Kohli
revealed
that
it
is
likely
they
will
continue
with
the
same
policy
in
the
remainder
of
the
trip,
starting
with
the
second
Test
at
Lord’s.

“Most
likely
it
will
be
the
template
for
the
rest
of
the
series,
but
adaptability
has
been
a
strength
of
ours,
especially
when
we’ve
played
away
from
home,”
he
said.

“We
need
to
adapt
quickly,
according
to
what
is
in
front
of
us.
Pitches,
conditions,
pace
of
the
wicket
and
so
on,
but
this
looks
like
the
right
template
moving
forward.

“It’s
going
to
be
an
exciting
series
to
watch
and
be
part
of
–
England-India
is
always
a
blockbuster.
Expect
a
lot
of
exciting
cricket
ahead.”