Joe Root Indicates At Playing Both James Anderson And Stuart Broad In The Pink-Ball Test

England skipper Joe Root has a headache on his hands, selecting a team composition ahead of the crucial pink-ball Test against India in Ahmedabad. India levelled the four-match series in the second Test, beating England by 317 runs. With plenty of seam movement expected with the pink ball in Ahmedabad, Joe Root hinted that they could play both James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have spearheaded England’s pace attack for nearly a decade now and have given few signals of slowing down. While the visitors have options like Mark Wood, Ollie Stone, and Jofra Archer in their ranks, Anderson and Broad could indeed share the new ball to gain maximum advantage. Ben Stokes already declared that England’s bowlers are licking their lips for the pink ball.

Joe Root warned against writing off James Anderson and Stuart Broad since they have plenty to offer and will get opportunities to play together. He also hinted at the possibility to field both the veterans together. Root claimed that they have not decided their team composition yet, wanting to take as much time and want to look at the pitch on Wednesday morning.

“I think you can’t write off those two (Anderson and Broad). They will get opportunities to play together in the future for sure. There is a lot of life left in both of them as of now. There is a chance they will play together tomorrow. We haven’t decided our team composition at the minute. We are going to take our time and give ourselves as much time before making the decision. We want to know how the pitch will look tomorrow morning,” Joe Root said in a virtual press conference.

I am sure we will see some good matches in this ground over the years: Joe Root

The visiting captain hailed the revamped Motera Stadium, saying that the ground will witness some breath-taking matches for the coming years and that the atmosphere looks electric. As for the pink-ball Test, the Yorkshire batsman believes that the first 20 balls are crucial to get used to the conditions and any time can become challenging for the batsmen.

“It is a phenomenal stadium, I am sure we will see some good matches in this ground over the years. I’m sure the atmosphere will be electric, it’s great to see fans back from the last match onwards. It seems to be a trend (collapses in a Pink Ball Test). The first 20 balls are vital for getting used to the conditions and seeing how the ball is moving. It’s not just the twilight session that is challenging; any time things can become a struggle for batsmen,” he added.

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