Image Source : TWITTER/@ENGLANDCRICKET England skipper Joe Root
England skipper Joe Root’s skill to rack up huge scores like he did in Sri Lanka within the just-concluded Test sequence will probably be key for England to place up a struggle towards India within the four-Test sequence beginning subsequent month. He scored 426 in two Tests in Sri Lanka at 106.50, with two centuries — 228 in first Test and 186 in second Test.
England and India play two Tests in Chennai, starting on February 5, and the final two in Ahmedabad.
Root was the second-highest run-getter behind Virat Kohli the final time England toured India, in 2016-17. His 491 runs in 5 Tests at 49.1 was behind Kohli’s 655.
Root is already trying ahead to the Tests towards India.
“We will look at this as a platform. We have got four very important games against arguably the best team [India] in the world in their own conditions. We are going to have to play right at the top of our game. We couldn’t be any better-placed than this to challenge them. That really excites me,” he stated on Monday, after beating Sri Lanka 2-0 within the two-Test sequence.
Despite England’s premier batsman’s good run final time they toured India, his group misplaced the five-match sequence to India 0-4 and will cross 500-run whole solely as soon as. That rating of 500-plus got here within the first Test in Rajkot, the place Root scored his solely century of the sequence — his 124 serving to England put up 537 from the place they may dominate India.
Unfortunately for England, that was the one time within the sequence they dominated India and as Root failed to provide one other three-figure knock, and England didn’t put up a giant rating.
Root went on to attain 4 half-centuries, however could not play a giant knock that will permit the opposite batsmen to mess around him.
The 124 in his very first innings in India throughout that sequence was adopted by scores of 4, 53, 25, 15, 78, 21, 77, 88, and 6.
With the then skipper Alastair Cook failing to attain huge, it was crucial on Root to transform his fifties into huge three-figure knocks at No.4.
This time although 30-year-old Root appears to have include a plan to carry the innings collectively, as evident from his 400-plus tally towards Sri Lanka. His wonderful run considerably papered over the poor efficiency of the opposite batsmen. England might produce solely three half-centuries in addition to Root’s two huge centuries.
While Root topped the run charts within the just-concluded sequence, the subsequent three top-scorers have been Sri Lankans.
Root’s general efficiency in India is kind of good. In six Tests on this nation, he has aggregated 584 runs at a median of 53.09.
