"We can't just be playing guys until they fall over" - Joe Root defends England's rotation policy

England skipper Joe Root has refused to blame his team's new rotation policy for their failures in the Test series against India. Joe Root remarked that the team needs to look after its players in a cramped sporting calendar to keep them fresh for all three formats.

Meanwhile, England stumbled to an innings and 25-run defeat in the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad. That concluded a forgettable series for the visitors, which they lost 1-3 after winning the opening Test in Chennai.

England's rotation policy during the marquee series against India has been roundly criticised by all and sundry. In the name of workload management, the visitors were unable to play their best XI in all four Tests.

Nevertheless, Joe Root refused to use that as a reason for his team's dismal outing. He said in this regard in the post-match presentation ceremony:

"You can look for excuses over different ways, but it's where we are, and the world we are looking at right now, it's not going to go away. It's really important that we understand that, and we look after our players. It's a big year of cricket, and it's three formats to consider, and we can't just be playing guys until they fall over. We got to move past that. We have to make sure we are constantly looking at what's next as well and also look after our players first and foremost."

A moment to cherish for #TeamIndia 🇮🇳🇮🇳ICC World Test Championship Final - Here we come 😎💪🏻@Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/BzRL9l1iMH

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2021

Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, all-rounder Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow are some of the key players who missed different matches in the series owing to England's controversial rotation policy. Moreover, the likes of Joe Root and Jofra Archer are expected to be absent from at least a few of the upcoming white-ball games.

Joe Root picks the positives and areas of improvement despite the series loss

England team led by Joe Root

Despite the series loss, Joe Root tried to identify some positives. While acknowledging that India 'outplayed' them convincingly, Joe Root commended the fight shown by his players in difficult conditions.

"I think the way we played in the first game, obviously, and the character and the fight shown by the guys. The last three games have been quite testing for us, and we haven't been able to match India, so huge credit to them; they have outplayed us. I will be realistic about things. We just have to keep looking to get better, keep looking to learn and keep looking to improve as a group. We still have a very big year of Test cricket ahead of us, so we must become a better side after this series," said Joe Root.

On the areas of improvement, Root said that his team failed to capitalise on crucial moments in the series and will look to improving the same.

"There are just a few key areas where India managed to grab them, and we didn't. You look at Rishabh's innings as a pretty good example in this game. We felt like we were in a pretty good position at one stage, and credit to him, he played extremely well. It was a great partnership between him and Washington. There were times where maybe we didn't score the runs we would have liked, and the way we went about things could have been slightly better," concluded Joe Root.

Well played, @BCCI 👏Congrats on your performance and Test series victory.We look forward to hosting you later this summer.🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/MnzvbyfbF1

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 6, 2021

While Team India will now look forward to the much-anticipated World Test Championship final, England have home series against India and New Zealand followed by an Ashes tour to Australia to look forward to.