Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Joe Root should stop playing Bazball and go back to his basic style of playing textbook Test cricket. Joe Root has performed poorly as a Bazballer according to Michael Vaughan and he feels that if England has to be on the winning side, then Joe Root should go back to the previous style of his.
Joe Root failed to produce good results with the bat in the first two Tests against India in the five-match series, even after having an excellent record against the same opponents.
Michael Vaughan wrote in his column for ‘The Telegraph’ about Joe Root’s strength as a textbook Test batsman and how Bazball is preventing him from reaching his true potential. He mentioned that he agrees that some batsmen bat like that from the first ball, but he feels that Joe Root should forget that style as he has scored more than 10,000 Test runs as Joe Root and not as Bazballer.
“Meanwhile, it seems like hitters only have one way to play. They are in fifth gear from ball one. I don’t mind some of them playing like that because they’re better at it. But Joe Root should forget it. He has 10,000 Tests playing as Joe Root. He doesn’t need to be a Bazballer,” wrote Michael Vaughan in ‘The Telegraph’. He also talked about Root being one of the best spin players produced by England after the great Graham Gooch.
“It’s time for someone in management to put their arm around Joe and say, ‘Please be yourself.’ I think it’s as simple as the fact that he’s too engrossed in Bazball, the whole spirit of excitement and entertainment. This is particularly important against spin. Along with Graham Gooch, Root is the best spin player England has ever produced. To see him bat like he did in the second innings, that’s not Root, and that’s not the way England are going to win in India, just giving away wickets,” he added.
Michael Vaughan wants Joe Root to be England’s rock
Talking about Joe Root’s batting in the second Test, Vaughan knew something was up when he saw Root doing reverse sweep to start his innings as he naturally doesn’t play like that. The former England cricketer has urged Joe Root to be a calming influence in the team and only then England can be on the winning side. He asks the firecrackers to play Bazball while Root remains the Rock.
I knew something was up when I saw him go off the mark in both innings with reverse sweeps. He doesn’t play like that. He gets involved and then takes risks. Let the firecrackers sound like this. “Joe has to be the rock, the calming influence while the crazy people play around him,” added Michael Vaughan.
India and England will lock horns at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot for the third Test of the five-match series. The test series is currently tied 1-1 with the visitors winning the first test and the hosts coming back in the second test. England won the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs, while India made a brilliant comeback in the second Test in Vizag winning by 106 runs to level the series.
India have not lost a Test series since their defeat against England in 2012, when they were beaten 2-1 by the Alastair Cook-led English team. The hosts have won 16 consecutive Test series in India since 2012 and are looking to make the streak count to 17 after beating England in the ongoing series. The third test begins on Thursday, February 15. The rest of the two Tests will be played in Ranchi and Dharamsala respectively.