Root sees room for improvement in all departments

Speaking after play on day five, when India took just 17 balls to wrap up England’s last wicket, Root acknowledged that though his side have been excellent with the ball thus far, their performance in this game, in which India registered their first two scores of above 300 this series, was a slight drop-off.

“It was always going to be a difficult decision [at the toss],” said Root. “There was some live grass on the wicket. We were performing extremely well with the ball, and potentially could have bowled them out quickly.

“We could have bowled a bit fuller, but that's nitpicking. India batted extremely well on that first day. We've generally bowled well at him [Kohli], he's not scored too quickly against us, but he's found ways to score runs.”

With the bat, England’s struggles were more obvious, as they lost 10 wickets in a session to succumb to 161 in the first innings. In the second innings however, there were signs of improvement.

“I think it's fair to say we underperformed in our first innings” said Root. “The second-innings partnership between Jos and Ben was a lesson to us, the way they adapted to the situation, how clear they looked about how they were going to score their runs. We need to look at that and see how we can adapt our own games to score 400 in the first innings.

“The best thing about [Buttler's innings] is that he can crash the ball to all parts, but the thing about him is how he can look at a situation and work out how to play. To have that performance in the bank will give him a great deal of confidence."

Root was unwilling to criticise any of England’s batsmen, offering some mitigation for the travails of their opening pair, Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings, who are yet to register a half-century between them this series.

“It's been challenging conditions for the top order, for both sides,” said Root. “We've got to be realistic about things – we've got two very good players at the top of the order. We've got to go back and find ways to adapt, and that's not just those two guys.”

One of the most concerning aspects from an England perspective has been their catching behind the wicket. The personnel in the cordon has changed frequently, and are lagging behind the top teams in terms of catching success rate.

“We're working extremely hard on our catching,” said Root. “We know it's a massively important area. It's not worked out until now, but if we get it right we know it will play massive dividends.”

Having won a close first Test and dominated the second, some expected England to dominate the remainder of the series. Instead, India’s third Test thumping has left the rubber delicately poised, with the scoreline 2-1 in England’s favour heading into the fourth Test at Southampton.

England may well have to do without wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, who sustained a finger fracture during the third Test. Root, however, said it was too soon to rule him out altogether.

“It's early days,” he said. “We have to see how that swelling comes down. We'll see over the next few days where he's at. He's in fine form, and it will be great if he plays.”