New Delhi, India

Joe Root and Co. are set to lock horns with Virat's Indian in the four-match Test series, starting from Friday in Chennai. The English captain feels that facing Team India would be a "huge challenge" but a series win against Sri Lanka, last month, will boost some confidence in his teammates. 

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“We are getting a huge amount of confidence after winning the two Tests against Sri Lanka, we are realistic about where we are as a team. We know this is going to be a huge challenge for us, we are looking forward to it. It is about concentrating on the right things which we think would be the best for us, this is a great opportunity for this group, we are looking forward to the next four Tests,” said Root during the virtual conference.

However, Root felt that Cheteshwar Pujara is going to be a 'huge wicket' for the team as he had a fantastic run in India's historic triumph in Australia.

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“I think he is a fantastic player, I had the pleasure of playing a couple of games with him for Yorkshire. To learn from him and speak about batting, was really interesting.

“Playing against him and being on the wrong end of him scoring some runs, you learn from those kinds of innings. You have seen his importance and what he adds to the Indian team, he is going to be a huge wicket for us, no doubt,” said Root.

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“There would be times when we would be required to stay patient, and we need to be mentally strong as he is at the crease, we know he is a fantastic player. He has a fantastic record at home, in particular, it is going to be a great challenge to come up against him,” he added.