England batsman Joe Root should be fit to bat on day four according to James Anderson. The visitors are chasing 399 to win the second Test and are 67/1 in 14 overs after the end of play on the third day.
England need another 332 runs to win the second test with two more days of play left. Meanwhile, Joe Root, who caught Yashasvi Jaiswal early on Day 2 to eliminate him, was hit on his right little finger while trying to stop Shreyas Iyer’s attack. Root was injured in India’s eighth innings.
He immediately winced in pain after the injury and was sidelined for the rest of the day. He also bowled a few overs on Day 3 before getting injured.
Joe Root’s finger is not cool: James Anderson
James Anderson, who took 2/29 in the second innings with the ball, spoke about Root’s condition after the day’s play. England’s medical team spent the day treating and icing Root’s finger. There were no reports of further exploration.
He further said that the medical team felt that it was in Root’s best interest to undergo treatment and therefore did not send him back to the field. Young spinners Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed delivered for England in their absence. Hartley took 4/77 while Rehan took 3/88 as India were bowled out for 255 in their second innings.
“His finger is not very good. This morning he took a hit in training and again on the field. It’s just about making sure it’s the best it can be for when he bats. Hopefully tomorrow he shows up on the ground and is okay to hold a bat.” Anderson said.
“He was just making sure he could do everything he could to help us in the second inning, just making sure it was the best it could be for tomorrow. There is a chance we need him with the bat, so we have to make sure he can hold it.” Anderson added.
“I don’t think there are any concerns. It’s making sure it’s the best it can be. There’s no point taking a chance on an outside hit, there’s no point taking more chances in the middle, so it’s making sure he’s good enough to bat.”
Shubman Gill scored his third Test ton and played an important role in achieving that goal in India. They gave England a target of 399 runs, of which England already scored 67 in 14 overs in the last session of play.
England now need another 332 runs in the remaining two days of play. Since England are playing with an aggressive intent, there are chances of the match ending on Day 2. England’s approach gives India a chance to take wickets as well. England scored 253 in response to India’s first innings score of 396.
The Indian tailenders could not take the team beyond 400 in the final session as the England spinners continued to cut wickets in the final session of play. Since the pitch will become increasingly difficult to bat with the Indian spinners coming into play, it will be interesting to see how the English batsmen play. Root, with his previous experience of playing well on the bending tracks in India, becomes a key batsman alongside captain Ben Stokes.
Also read: Shubman Gill’s father angry at batsman despite excellent century in Vizag Test