A hard graft was what Joe Root had to put in on this tricky wicket to bring up his 31st Test hundred. As he shelved Bazball, his gritty, unbeaten 122 has been crucial to England enjoying an advantage after two days of play in the fourth Test.

Root was subjected to criticism for his shot selection in the previous two Tests. His attempt at improvisation at such an early stage of his innings seemed unnecessary to many and, deep down, Root didn’t seem to be too well-placed in terms of mindset.

But more than the criticism, what weighed on him was the execution of his shots. “Not necessarily the (shot) selection, but I’m better than that when it comes to execution,” Root said at the news conference after the day’s play on Saturday.

“Batting is about outscoring the opposition... If you get out, you’re out, and it doesn’t matter what it looks like. You have to think how, as a team, you’re going to continue to get the best out of each other, how you’re going to get those scores.

“Our outlook on the game is very different again. It’s not about being arrogant. Bazball is a word that’s used a lot, but that’s not how we look at it. It’s about how can we get the best out of each other as a team, how we’re going to get better as a group. You’re not always going to get it right, but we’ll continue to keep trying to improve.”

Right through his 274-ball knock, Root employed the reverse sweep only once and that too, late on Day I. Not once did he try to reverse-scoop a pacer, a departure from what was his approach in his previous innings on this tour.

“I walked out to bat yesterday (Friday) seeing a wicket where it looked like there’s uneven bounce. It looks very difficult to sweep and play across the line, so I just tried to take that out of my game and keep it really simple.

“I tried to stay calm. You try to dovetail with the other guys. Jonny (Bairstow) came out and we worked really well together. Me and Foakesey (Ben Foakes) have a very similar way of going about things on a wicket like that and you just have to work together to bring the best out of each other.

“There have been moments in recent times when the best way to do that is by being a bit more aggressive. If I connect with that shot and execute it better, a bowler like (Japsrit) Bumrah is under pressure,” Root explained.

Playing the reverse-ramp to reach three figures did cross Root’s mind though before he changed his mind “quickly”. “It was a selfish thought that left my mind very quickly. On that wicket, it (reverse-ramp) wasn’t a great option. You don’t mess with the game. You just try and play what you honestly think is the best way to score runs. It’s not about whether you get 99 or 100, but it’s about winning and trying to get as many as you can.”