England thrashed India by an innings and 76 runs in the third Test at Headingley (Pictures: Sky Sports)

Joe Root hailed England’s performance in the third Test against India, while Virat Kohli defended his decision to bat first after his side were beaten by an innings and 76 runs.

England were trounced by 151 runs in the second Test at Lord’s but bounced back in Leeds this week to clinch an emphatic victory and level the five-match series.

The hosts produced a brilliant bowling performance on the first day to bowl India out for 78, with only Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane reaching double figures and James Anderson and Craig Overton sharing six wickets.

England’s batting has been vulnerable of late but another century for Root – his third of the series and 22nd in Test cricket – and runs from Dawid Malan (70), Haseeb Hameed (68) and Rory Burns (61) saw Chris Silverwood’s side amass 432, a lead of 354.

India improved with the bat in their second innings and frustrated England through Cheteshwar Pujara (91), Sharma (59) and Kohli (55), but the tourists were blown away on the fourth day to be bowled out for 278.

Ollie Robinson claimed his second Test five-wicket haul in only his fourth red-ball match for England, while Overton took another three scalps.

England and India will now travel to The Oval for the fourth Test which starts on September 2 with the series evenly-poised at 1-1 with two matches to play.

England’s bowlers dominated India in Leeds (Picture: Getty)

Kohli said at the post-match presentation: ‘We were always up against it from the first innings, not enough runs on the board and it’s very difficult to get back into the game.

‘I think we did really well to stay in the moment yesterday and get a few crucial partnerships but I think the pressure from the English bowlers was outstanding today.

‘Their discipline forced us to make a few mistakes. The pressure was relentless and difficult to deal with. The batting order crumbled.’

Asked whether he regretted batting first after winning the toss, Kohli added: ‘Not at all. The pitch looked really good to bat on and you saw that when England batted a few hours later.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND WIN!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Series level at 1⃣-1⃣Overton with two in an over, Jadeja (30) and Siraj, to clinch victory by an innings and 76 runs! #ENGvIND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇳🏏📺 Watch 👉 https://t.co/N5yEvBmzDs 📱 Blog 👉 https://t.co/2LY8DKcNvX pic.twitter.com/qsToVUIIND

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 28, 2021

‘We were probably not as consistent with the ball and their batsmen made better decisions and showed more intent.

‘We were just not on the money in this game and England were. They are a quality side and deserved to win.’

Root, meanwhile, described his team’s performance as ‘fantastic’ as England recovered from a demoralising defeat at Lord’s to punish India in Leeds.

‘It was a fantastic, clinical performance from our bowlers,’ he said.

Root described England’s performance in the third Test as ‘fantastic’ (Picture: Getty)

‘The two big lads [Robinson and Anderson] lads set the tome beautifully and put the pressure on with the new ball and we were ruthless when the chances came.’

The England skipper added: ‘It might be for you but it’s not for me because I know the talent we’ve got and what we’re capable of.

‘To bounce back in the fashion we have done is the most impressive thing. The bowling on the first day was amazing, then the way the openers played and the substantial partnerships we had.’

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