Guarded Joe Root coy over England's hopes ahead of third India Test

NICK HOWSON: The captain was unmoved over his team selection for the match in Ahmedabad as he contemplates several dilemmas, including whether to reunite James Anderson and Stuart Broad

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Whether it was intentional or not, there was something mysterious and reluctant about Joe Root as he previewed the third Test against India.

The England captain is either keen to let his side's performance do the talking, or genuinely unsure over how the remainder of this fascinating series will unfold.

Everything from discussing anything resembling the structure of his team to the influence of central contracts was swept off the table with the kind of efficiency we've come accustomed to from the 30-year-old while in the middle.

This wasn't a disgruntled or dismissive skipper, as such, but clearly, an individual preoccupied with the many questions he and his side will face in the line of fire over the coming days. And there was no feeling he was trying to find out the result of The Hundred draft, either.

Selection for the third Test will be largely decided following the final practice session, and certainly not before, once the fitness of Jofra Archer and Zak Crawley has been proven and the rapidly-changing Ahmedabad pitch has been properly assessed.

That the only subject Root would be fully drawn on was whether James Anderson and Stuart Broad will be paired in an away Test again perhaps says plenty about the prospect of the pair playing at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

Anderson admitted over the weekend he was concerned he might never bowl in tandem with Broad again. The pair have taken 1,128 Test wickets between them yet despite the pink ball and day-night conditions being in place for this match, there is no guarantee they will be reunited.

"You'd be wrong to ever write-off those two to do anything," said Root of Anderson and Broad, whose last away Test appearance together was in Cape Town nearly 14 months ago. 

"The records they have and the things they've produced over the last few years is a reason why they're up there in the top three bowlers in the world. 

"They're consistently getting better the older they get, they use their experience to their advantage all of the time and I am sure there will be opportunities when they get to play together in the near future and much further down the line as well. 

"You're talking about two of England's greatest bowlers and the records they set will be very difficult for them to surpass. There is a lot of life left in them both."

He added on removing sentimentality from decisions on selection: "You've got to look at the game that is in front of you. Of course, there is that emotional side of things that you do have to put to the side but you the one thing you know if they'll never let you down. 

"They'll try hard to set an example for the whole group and that's why they've been such proven performers for such a long time it is because of how they got about things, constantly finding ways to motivate themselves with new challenges and goals to chase down."

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