India, July 17 -- Stranded on an agonising 99 not out, Joe Root could have easily cut a frustrated figure. Instead, as the winning runs were struck by Gus Atkinson in Cardiff yesterday, the elder statesman celebrated England's hard-ground-out victory over India in the second ODI with the unbridled passion of a young 'un hitting a first international sixer. At the post-match conference, he simply summed up: "It would've felt a lot worse if we'd lost."

"It's all about winning, and there's no better feeling in cricket than being there at the end [when] you chase something down."

Root always looked absolutely certain to notch his 62nd international century. With just 12 runs needed from the last eight overs, he was sitting comfortably on 97...