England batsman Joe Root hailed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the modern-day greats during a recent interview with the official broadcasters of the IND vs ENG Test series, JioCinema. India won the second Test of the five-match series against England at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vishakhapatnam. The hosts lost the first Test in Hyderabad but then bounced back with a big win in the second Test.
Joe Root failed to deliver with the bat in both Test matches but was good with the ball as he took four during India’s first innings in the first Test. However, his bowling prowess also took a hit on a batting-friendly track in Vizag and he was not at his best during the second Test.
Joe Root expressed his desire to keep Rohit Sharma’s bat quiet throughout the series. Virat Kohli opted out of the first two Tests citing personal reasons and Rohit Sharma scored only 90 runs with the bat in the first two Tests of the series.
The England batting all-rounder spoke about the focus that will be on the experienced duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He said that both of them play an important role in this Indian Test team and can score big, which can be a bothersome point for England as they have been at the receiving end several times. Root also said that it would be good to keep the duo quiet in this series.
“You mentioned two of the greats of the modern era. Of course, there will be concentration. We know how good they are and they are also very senior within this current Indian batting lineup. They clearly have an important role to play within this Test team,” Joe Root told JioCinema.
“You have to make sure you try to control them as soon as possible. “They have the ability to get big scores and we have been on the wrong side a few times so it would be good to try and keep them as quiet as possible throughout the series,” he added.
Joe Root has a great record against India
Joe Root may have failed to deliver with the bat in the first two Test matches, but he has an impressive record against India in Test cricket. He has amassed 2578 runs in 49 innings against India in Test cricket at an average of 58.59 which includes nine centuries and 10 half-centuries.
The last time England toured India for a Test series in 2021, Joe Root captained the team and ended up being the highest run-getter in the series with 368 runs in eight innings at an average of 46.
India and England are currently tied 1-1 in the ongoing five-match Test series and both teams will look to take the lead in the third Test starting on Thursday, February 15.
The third Test of the series will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot and the hosts would like to continue their winning streak as they have not been defeated at home in a Test series since 2012.