"Rooty's a freak" - Ben Duckett defends Joe Root amid criticism for Bazball approach

England opener Ben Duckett credited the Indian team for coming back into the Test match the way they did on day 3 in Rajkot. The Indian bowling attack bowled out England for 319 and then dominated with the bat scoring 196/2 by stumps.

India led by 322 runs on day 3 after well and truly dominating the third day’s play. They will look to build on the lead on day four and give England a tough target. Duckett meanwhile is the second-highest run-getter with 284 runs in three matches so far at an average of 56.80.

The England opener who scored 153 off 151 balls in England’s first innings credited the Indian team for pulling things back on the third day. The southpaw hit 23 fours and two sixes in his innings and took a special liking to Kuldeep Yadav. He was ultimately dismissed by the left-arm chinaman bowler once he got his 150.

We Tried Attacking, Didn’t Pay Off: Ben Duckett

“Got to give credit to the way they played this evening, gave us nothing this morning, we tried to be attacking, didn’t pay off. A lot more theory behind [my approach]. People might think [my range of sweeps] are reckless, but if they want to have people round the bat, I’ll try to get rid of them,” said Duckett.

He also spoke about Joe Root’s dismissal in the first innings, The England batting star scored 18 off 31 balls before he tried to scoop and was caught at slips by Yashasvi Jaiswal off the bowling off Jasprit Bumrah.

There has been a lot of talk about Root’s ultra-aggressive intent of batting in the Bazball era and how it has worked against him in this series so far. However, Duckett defended him saying that he does freakish things on the field things that others could not.

“Rooty is a freak and does things a lot of people can’t. In my eyes, that’s like me playing a drive and nicking off to second slip,” said Ducket as he defended Root.

The England opener also said that India sending a nightwatchman in the form of Kuldeep Yadav after the fall of Rajat Patidar’s wicket was a sign that the team was wary of England’s capabilities.

Earlier in the day, India fielded a 10-man side after Ravichandran Ashwin opted out of the ongoing Rajkot Test due to a family emergency. Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley to take his 500th wicket in Test cricket.

“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully support Ashwin. The BCCI extends its heartfelt support to the champion cricketer and his family. The health and well-being of the players and their loved ones are of utmost importance. The Board requests respect for the privacy of Ashwin and his family as they navigate through this challenging time” said the BCCI in a statement.

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