New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS): England batter Joe Root reflected on his memories of playing cricket in India, saying he carries fond memories of his time in the country due to him making his international cricket debut across all formats.

Root is currently plying his trade for the Dubai Capitals in the inaugural edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) in the UAE. But in the international cricket arena, Root is the lead batter for England in Tests and ODIs, having been a member of the 2019 ODI World Cup winning side at home.

He will be seen in action in India when he links up with Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2023 in a couple of months' time, making it his first brush with the tournament. "I made my debut in all three formats in India quite a long time ago now. I played my 50th Test in India. Fond memories, it's a great place to play cricket. The passion for the game is evident when you walk into any stadium."

"You don't even have to be in a cricket ground, to be honest, it's an obvious love for the sport and it's great to see that passion. I always enjoy getting to play in India and also have a lot of fun," Root was quoted as saying by Zee, the broadcaster of the ILT20.

Root will be next seen for the Capitals when they take on Gulf Giants on Monday evening. He also opened up on his views on the ILT20, pointing out that with more exposure, the tournament can reach new heights and help in the growth of cricket in the UAE.

"There's some talent around which is great to see and you want to come to a tournament here and see development, especially in the last 10 years in this part of the world and this is a great opportunity for this league to be better than further and hopefully I've seen with a number of these associations, the more exposure you get, the more frequency you get to rub shoulders with big players and good coaches."

"Guys that have been around for a long time in international cricket and franchise cricket have a lot to share. The faster the development speeds up and the interest as well, the participation at lower levels of grassroots levels will also increase. The uptake and intake of the game are hopefully going to grow and again, that's only going to be a good thing for world cricket," he added.

The tournament is being broadcasted in India on Zee Cinema SD, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol Cinema, &Pictures HD, &Flix SD, &Flix HD, Zee Zest SD, Zee Zest HD, Zee Bangla Cinema, Zee Thirai and Zee5.