Joe Root Used The Break Well And Polished His Batting Further - Zaheer Khan

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan showered praise on English batsman and skipper Joe Root after the latter notched up his third century of the series in as many matches. It was also Root’s 8th hundred against India, making him the player with most centuries in India-England Tests.

Zaheer was particularly impressed with how Root handled the criticism he received after captaincy failures in the Lord’s Test. Having accepted his blunders, Root honed his batting skills further and didn’t let the outside noise affect his contributions.

“It is very important for a leader, especially when his team is down and trailing, to motivate his teammates, inspire them to play good cricket, and come back in the series. So, Root showed all these qualities and also showed his vigor.”

“It is not easy [to perform like this] after receiving the kind of criticism he received for his captaincy after the Lord’s Test. He used the break very well and maintained his form with the bat. Sometimes, when this sort of a thing happens [criticism after Lord’s Test], it affects your batting too. Instead, he polished his batting further,” Zaheer pointed out.

“Looked like he had made up his mind to be positive” – Zaheer Khan on Joe Root’s hundred at Headingley

For the first time in the series, Root walked out to bat under no pressure. The openers had already overtaken India’s total and laid out a perfect platform for the rest to capitalize. Root made the most of it and indulged in stress-free stroke-play.

“The way the match started and the first day played out and the way (James) Anderson and the bowlers performed so well to bundle out India cheaply, he would have definitely benefitted from it. Let’s not forget the opening stand.

“In this innings, he batted more freely and was playing his shots more often. The fact that he is well-versed with this ground was also an added advantage,” Zaheer added.

Root is without a doubt in the form of his life. In the calendar year, Root has scored more than a thousand already, and he is on track to beat Mohammad Yousuf’s long-standing record of most runs in a calendar year.

“It looked like he had made up his mind that he will be positive and play his shots because he hadn’t come out to bat in such circumstances earlier. He had to curb his instincts, absorb the pressure and play accordingly till now. So, he would definitely have enjoyed this on the back of great form and a great platform,” the former pacer concluded.

In the series alone, Root has accumulated 507 runs in five innings, which includes three centuries and a half-century. He has top-scored for his side in every single innings so far.

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