Root highlights learning curve for England's young...

By Aarav Reddy — 17 July 2026 — 4 min read

Joe Root believes that some England players are learning on the job in 50-over cricket due to limited exposure to the format. This perspective follows England‘s four-wicket victory over India in the second one-day international at Cardiff, where Root scored an unbeaten 99.

The One-Day Cup in domestic cricket is played concurrently with The Hundred, which has led to it becoming more of a developmental tournament. This scheduling means that players entering the national team often lack extensive experience in 50-over cricket. Root, at 35, noted that the top six batters for England in a recent match had collectively played over 400 fewer List A matches compared to their India counterparts.

Root emphasised that this situation presents a significant challenge for the team and emerging players. He explained that there is not the same level of grounding in 50-over cricket before reaching the international stage, unlike in other parts of the world. Consequently, players must adapt and learn quickly under match conditions.

Adapting to varied conditions

England successfully chased a target of 234 in the 45th over during the Cardiff match. Root‘s innings, along with Virat Kohli‘s 65 for India, focused on strike rotation and capitalising on loose deliveries. This approach was a departure from the aggressive batting style often associated with England‘s 2019 World Cup-winning squad, highlighting the importance of adaptability.

Root stressed the need for bravery and the ability to absorb pressure, noting that players often have more time than they perceive. He added that having a diverse range of gears makes a player more effective in the long term. While some pitches might lead to high-scoring games where 400 runs are considered par, players also need to find ways to succeed on challenging wickets, even if it means winning in a less conventional manner.

The team’s recent performance in ODIs has been inconsistent, with England experiencing their 14th defeat in 20 matches in the series opener at Edgbaston. Currently, England ranks eighth globally and needs to maintain a position within the top nine to secure automatic qualification for the next World Cup in 2027.

Despite these challenges, Root expressed hope that the team would be judged on its recent ability to adapt. He cited an earlier series against Sri Lanka where England quickly learned from initial errors to win the series. Similarly, after not reading the situation well at Edgbaston, the team learned and applied those lessons in the subsequent innings.

Individual milestones and team goals

Root‘s unbeaten 99 in Cardiff was a masterclass in chasing, guiding England to a four-wicket victory and levelling the three-match series 1-1. He entered the innings after Ben Duckett was dismissed on the first ball and absorbed early pressure from Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. His composed innings of 99* off 133 deliveries included nine boundaries and was built through crucial partnerships with Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Gus Atkinson.

This knock also saw Root surpass Virat Kohli in terms of the highest batting average in successful ODI run chases, for players with a minimum of 2,000 runs. The list includes MS Dhoni with an average of 102.71, followed by Joe Root at 91.59, Virat Kohli at 89.07, AB de Villiers at 82.77, and Michael Clarke at 73.86.

Following the win, Root stated that finishing the game and securing the victory was more important than reaching a personal milestone. He highlighted that the series is now alive, which was the team’s objective for the match. He acknowledged the difficult batting conditions throughout the game and praised England‘s bowlers for restricting India after a strong partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.

India, after being asked to bat first, had a strong 114-run stand between Virat Kohli (65) and Shreyas Iyer (66), reaching 180/3. However, a middle-order collapse led to them losing their last seven wickets for 53 runs, being bowled out for 233. Jofra Archer took 3/47 and Gus Atkinson claimed 3/50 for England, while Jasprit Bumrah‘s unbeaten 20 helped India cross the 230-run mark.

England‘s chase began poorly, with Jasprit Bumrah dismissing Ben Duckett on the first ball and Prasidh Krishna reducing them to 8/2. However, Root anchored the innings with support from Will Jacks (30), Sam Curran (26), and Gus Atkinson (23). Atkinson hit the winning boundary, securing the four-wicket victory and leaving Root just short of his century. The series decider against India is scheduled to be played at Lord’s.

England‘s top order has faced challenges in finding a consistent opening partner for Ben Duckett. Jacob Bethell, who has played 23 ODIs, has scored 14 and four in his new role. Root and former captain Jos Buttler, with 191 and 201 ODI caps respectively, are the only remaining batters from England‘s 2019 World Cup-winning team. Root remains optimistic that the current group can achieve similar success by continuing to develop and understand different match situations.