Dinesh Karthik expressed the view that Joe Root’s shot in the second Test was subpar, contributing to his ongoing struggle with the bat in the India-England Test series. Root’s attempt to be aggressive led to a top-edge caught by Axar Patel at backward point when he was batting at 16 runs off nine deliveries.
This shot impacted England’s chances of chasing 399, particularly after losing two quick wickets in the morning session. The wicketkeeper-batsman suggests that instead of attempting high-risk lofted shots, Root should opt for playing reverse sweeps. This advice was shared in a recent statement to Cricbuzz.
“Joe Root is of the traditional mold but what he does when it comes to attacking intent would be playing the reverse sweeps, using the sweeps without thinking twice about the result. It is about expressing yourself without the fear of failure, that’s what Bazball should mean.”
Karthik continued:
“What Root did was attacking today and it was high-risk cricket and he knows Ashwin is a quality bowler, he’s not gonna away too many that gonna be put away that easily. So, did Root play a poor shot? I think so for sure.”
Root has struggled with the bat in the current Test series in India, accumulating only 52 runs in four innings. Despite this, he holds the record for the highest number of runs in Tests between the two nations, amassing 2578 runs in 49 innings, featuring nine centuries and 10 fifties.
In total, Root has accumulated 11,468 runs in 137 Test matches, which includes 30 centuries and 60 half-centuries.
“There’s a difference between having intent and playing attacking cricket” – Dinesh Karthik views on Joe Root
Dinesh Karthik provided additional insights into the shortcomings in Joe Root’s approach that led to his dismissal in the second Test. The 38-year-old emphasized the importance of Root adhering to his strengths rather than attempting aggressive shots to demonstrate intent in the BazBall era. Karthik stated:
“He [Joe Root] knows how to get to 400, three boundaries are not gonna make a difference. It’s about playing time with the same intent. The intent is okay. People need to understand one thing, there’s a difference between having intent and playing attacking cricket.”
He continued:
“When you have intent, it’s just I am looking to score under pressure which could mean good single, good defense, and showing intent means playing shots that are my strengths.”
Joe Root aims to rectify his batting performance in the upcoming third Test, set to take place in Rajkot starting from February 15.
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