WT20: This is what you dream as a kid, says Joe Root

England's star batsman and prolific scorer reveals childhood ambition of being part of a World Cup final before Sunday's title clash against West Indies

Joe Root

Kolkata: The last time Joe Root came to the Eden Gardens with the England team, he carried drinks in a Test match. This time, he could well carry England to a World Cup title.

England’s Joe Root plays a leg-side shot against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium on March 16. Pic/Suresh Karkera

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England's poor start
Having begun their World T20 with a defeat, England were on the verge of being dealt a body blow when the 25-year-old turned things around in dramatic fashion at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai with a 44-ball 83 that saw them chase down a target of 229 against South Africa.

That game vs SA
"That gave us the confidence to go all the way," Root recalled, but attributed England's rise to a bits of whole lot of factors, not least their belief in their path. "We stayed true to what we believed in as a side and the way we wanted to play cricket. We had belief in each other and in ourselves. When it has gone wrong, we have not stepped back. That is something we have got to continue to do. We still have a very inexperienced side but a keen bunch of guys that are willing to learn and improve," he added. In the final on Sunday, they face off against the West Indies, to whom they had lost in that opener. But, then, a great deal has changed in the England team since then.

'Everyone's smiling'
"This is what you dream as a kid, the opportunity of playing the final of a World Cup. In the last couple of days, looking around the dressing room or around the lads in the bus with everyone smiling..." he said.

Asked if England were relieved they don't have to take on the home team, Root reminded that "if you have to win the World Cup, you have got to be the best team. It's irrelevant who we play; it's about making sure we go out there and do everything we can to get over the line," he said.

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