Nasser Hussain defends Joe Root despite reverse-scoop dismissal in Rajkot

Joe Root was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah as he tried to reverse scoop and was caught at slips by Yashasvi Jaiswal on day 3 of the ongoing Rajkot Test.

That was the ninth time that Root was dismissed by Bumrah in Test cricket. The star England batter has found the going tough in this series against India. He has not even scored 100 runs in the series so far. Root was dismissed for just 18 off 31 balls and was the first English wicket to fall on day 3.

His dismissal was the ideal opening that India got and then they made further inroads to ultimately getting bowled out for 319. The timing of Root’s dismissal was a talking point throughout the day. His response to the Bazball approach was also talked about by cricket experts.

Joe Root went past 1000 Test runs against India in India earlier in the series. However, in this ongoing series, he has scored 79 runs at an average of less than 20 in six innings so far.

Despite Root’s poor run of form in the series and his shocking modes of dismissal trying to live up to the Bazball game, Nasser Hussain defended the former England skipper despite his recent unusual dismissal. In the process, he spoke about the pros and cons of Bazball cricket.

Also Read: “Rooty’s a freak” – Ben Duckett defends Joe Root amid criticism for Bazball approach

Joe Root Will Assess The Dismissal Himself: Nasser Hussain

"He will come back and be absolutely fine" 🗨

Nasser Hussain has defended England's Joe Root after his unsuccessful reverse scoop drew criticism against India 🏏 pic.twitter.com/NsQEhnj0ut

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) February 17, 2024

“Joe will assess his dismissal himself, that is what makes a great player and that is what he is Joe Root. I said after the last game where there was talks about Bazball not suiting Joe Root. The stats don’t tell you that. He averages 51 playing under the Bazball regime, 49 he averaged before England adopted this style of cricket,” said Hussain as he defended as he responded to his critics.

Hussain further said that Root’s mode of dismissal and his recent failure is a glimpse of what Bazball cricket is all about.

“His dismissal sort of sums up where we are with Bazball. It will thrill and frustrate with equal measure. When he is playing a reverse scoop first ball of the game of the day of an Ashes Test and it goes for six we all jump up and applaud. When he does that to Bumrah and gets out we say what a disgrace you should not do that you are Joe Root,” added Hussain.

Nasser Hussain further said that Joe Root would be unhappy with the timing of that shot especially with India a bowler short with the pull out of Ravichandran Ashwin.

“One thing as I say Joe will look at is the timing of that shot. I just said that Ravi Ashwin wasn’t there, Ravindra Jadeja making a comeback from injury and he is looked after by his skipper and under-bowled, Bumrah is playing three Test matches in a row and there is talk of him needing a rest. Bazball is about attacking but is also about soaking up pressure. Don’t confuse Bazball about all-out attack. You speak to the management it’s about when to attack and when to soak up pressure and Joe will look back at that moment with disappointment,” concluded Nasser Hussain

The former England skipper concluded that Root will make a comeback in the series with still two Test matches remaining.

Also Read: Anil Kumble lauds Mohammed Siraj’s ‘consistent line and length’ strategy on Day 3