As the most anticipated 5 match test series between India and England started in Hyderabad on 25th January 2024, Day 1 belonged to the Indian team due to the spin trio of Ashwin Jadeja and Patel bundling England out on 246 runs . The England team with its Bazball approach seemingly will the talking point of the series but they too have the batter in the form of Joe Root in their squad who acts as a perfect test match batter and has immaculate record in the subcontinent due to his technique of proper test batting technique.
Joe Root since his debut has a special liking for Team India whether at home or India and loves to grind runs against them. With all other batters around him taking the hit the ball Bazball approach till date, Joe Root the most accomplished batter for England in test still believes in the age old textbook technique of test batting. His sweep and reverse sweep shots to perfection in the subcontinental wickets often has yielded him great results.
Joe Root performance in India and how his form will have the effect on the series
Joe Root with his swift stand and able to read and play the spinners well due to agile techniques hitting sweeps and reverse sweeps at will has been hugely successful in subcontinental conditions . Joe Root versus India has an amazing numbers with the bat with had scored 2555 runs in 26 matches at an astonishing average of 62.31 inclusive of 9 hundreds and 10 fifties from 2012-2024. To add to the tally in Indian conditions alone Joe Root’s stats are 981 runs in just 11 test matches at an average of 49.50 including 2 hundreds and five fifties.
Joe Root was instrumental when England thrashed India in the first test match last time they toured India where he had scored an Double century in his first innings of that series . This series will be no different as India will always find a thorn in their conquest in the form of Joe Root.
Even in the first innings of the first test match Joe Root after being given not out on DRS when on 0 off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja started out steading England’s ship with holding one end giving Bairstow the chance to settle down.
He forged a 61 run partnership with Bairstow giving England some respectability after loosing three quick wickets after introduction of spin after a great start. Axar broke the partnership by dismissing Bairstow and Joe Root who was responsibly playing till then fell few overs later leaving England into tatters at 125 for 5 after Lunch on DAY 1.
Joe Root made 29 runs of 60 balls and looked settled until Joe Root employs the premeditated sweep shot. The length wasn’t full enough to be playing it and he pays the price. Lobs up off the top-edge and it’s an easy catch for Bumrah at short fine leg to give Ravindra Jadeja his wicket after looking well set.
This mode of dismissal has irked the likes of Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his views on the same.
Former Indian Batter now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar’s opines England’s most dependable batter Joe Root’s dismissal in the 1st innings was due to the over aggression shown by the batter.
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has opined that England’s Joe Root was over-aggressive with the bat on Day 1 of their ongoing Test series opener against India. The visitors won the toss at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 25 and opted to bat first.
After coming in, Root was off to a decent start with the bat, scoring 29 runs. However, his over-reliance on the sweep shot cost him his wicket as he perished to Ravindra Jadeja.
Suggesting that the senior batter would’ve had more success if he had trusted his defence more in the innings, here’s what Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo:
“I thought Joe Root did the aggressive approach a little too much. He maybe came in with a preconceived approach, but he’s far good a player to only look at one way of scoring.
“Had he maybe trusted his defence a little more and played as per the merit of the ball, because all three spinners that bowled today weren’t also at their best, that would have been a more suitable approach for somebody of the calibre of Joe Root.”
Manjrekar pointed out how skipper Ben Stokes trusted his defence for the majority of his innings. Assessing the approach of Stokes and Root, the cricketer-turned-commentator added:
“And for guys who are not feeling vulnerable or anxious while they’re defending, they can perhaps not play out of the box too much, like Ben Stokes didn’t for a long time before he started realizing that he’s running out of partners. But until then, he was happy to just defend and survive.”
Ben Stokes was the lone warrior for the visitors, as the remaining batters visibly struggled to counter the Indian spinners. The southpaw scored 70 runs off 88 balls. England failed to capitalize on a good start and ultimately folded for 246.
For India, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin bagged three scalps each, while Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah shared two wickets apiece. India finished 119/1 at stumps on Day 1, trailing England’s total by 127. Yashaswi Jaiswal (76*) and Shubman Gill (24*) will resume batting on the second day. Giving Joe Root’s pyrotechnics with the bat and Indian wickets assisting spin bowling Joe Root in the second innings could be handy and key wicket with the bat before having some fun with his off spin in the Indian first innings.