England’s premier batsman Joe Root is having a bad run of form in the upcoming Test series against India.
Many experts, commentators, and ex-cricketers have heavily criticized Joe Root for the shots he used to get out in this series, with the scoop he played to Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings in Rajkot receiving the most attention.
Joe Root, who has 11,493 Test runs in his career, has struggled significantly in India this series. The right-hander has scored just 77 runs in six innings, with an average little above 12.
In this piece, we present three opinions from the experts on Joe Root’s form in Tests.
1. Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was both an outspoken critic and a staunch defender of Joe Root.
Vaughan, writing for the English newspaper The Telegraph, expounded on why his fellow Yorkshireman has not been able to contribute to this series’ success.
“The trouble in India is that Jasprit Bumrah seems to have his (Root) number, having dismissed him eight times in Tests. That means that he’s got a problem with the only seamer who will bowl much to him, and with his method against spin.”
“That means going back to what made him such a brilliant player against spin. They need their rock at No. 4 to peel off a couple of big hundreds, to bat all day. He will score at a good lick that way anyway. Root is the anomaly in this team for that reason. He’s their beautiful classic car, surrounded by souped-up sports cars.”
Michael Vaughan
2. Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain, who now works as a television pundit and commentator, praised Joe Root and predicted that he will regain his form quickly.
Hussain is certain that Joe Root’s drop in form is an anomaly, adding that the latter will review his dismissals and learn from his mistakes.
He spoke with SkySports Cricket about this:
“Joe can assess his dismissals himself – that is what makes him a great player. He averages 51 under this regime, playing this way. And he averaged 49 before that. So, statistically, he has been better playing this way.”
“What we know about Bazball is that it will thrill and frustrate you in equal measure. When he manages to connect, we all go, “Wow! Well done Joe!” but when he fails, we criticise him. Bazball is about attacking, but also about soaking up pressure.”
Nasser Hussain
3. Rudra Pratap Singh
Former India seamer RP Singh, who now appears on television as a cricket analyst, was harshly critical of Joe Root’s performance in this series.
The 14-Test veteran told Colors Cineplex that Root’s shot to get out to Bumrah in Rajkot, an audacious scoop, would have terminated any other player’s career.
“The shot Joe Root played – if someone had played such a shot at domestic or club level – his career might have gotten over. He would have been asked to first correct things and come back as you can’t play like that.”
“I don’t know how the support staff will see that shot. I never thought such a compact player would play this shot and that too against Jasprit Bumrah. He might have thought two days ago that he would try something unique as Bumrah was anyway going to dismiss him.”
Rudra Pratap Singh