Joe Root, the former captain of England, has been having a great time with the bat since he stopped being captain. After leading the Three Lions to a historic win in Birmingham, he even went on a seventh moon. In the fifth and final rescheduled Test against India, which just ended, Root came out to bat at number four while trying to chase 378. He was in a good mood. On Day 5 at Edgbaston, the right-handed batter scored runs in style and moved closer to his 28th Test century.
He didn’t get out and reached 142, and the home team won by seven wickets, tying the series at 2-2. Root was thrilled with how the game turned out, and his joy was clear in the press conference after the game. The talismanic batter also said that he wasn’t used to the “Bazball” approach all the way.
The Yorkshireman in me still wants to say “dig”: Joe Root
Brendon McCullum, England’s new Test head coach, and Ben Stokes, the team’s captain, have both been pushing for a bold style of cricket. Even though his strike rate has been going up lately, Root still seems to prefer the traditional way to bat in Test cricket.
“The Yorkshireman in me still tells me to dig in, play straight, and back it up. Then, on the other shoulder, the captain says, “Be a rock star.” So sometimes you have to choose between the two,” said Root.
Root also made it clear that he likes this new way of doing things because it lets the players enjoy Test cricket. “In Test cricket, the way you need to play is written down. It can be hard to bowl when you don’t know what will happen next. Sometimes the gaps look bigger, and you know where the ball is going to be because of how sides usually bowl for long periods,” the 31-year-old said.
The action will now switch to white-ball cricket. The two teams are set to play three T20Is and as many ODIs against each other. The first T20I is set to start on July 7.
