5 spinners who have dismissed Joe Root in Tests in India
Joe Root is considered one of the most accomplished batsmen in modern-day cricket. The England Test skipper will be the prized scalp of all Indian bowlers in the upcoming four-match series between the two nations.
The first Test in Chennai, starting on February 5, will be the 100th of Joe Root's career. The stylish batsman has amassed 8249 runs in the 99 Tests he has played thus far at an impressive average of 49.39.
Joe Root has been even more prolific in Test matches played in India. He has aggregated 584 runs in the six Tests he has played on Indian soil at an average of 53.09, with 124 being his highest score.
A total of seven bowlers have dismissed Joe Root in Test matches played in India. This includes just two pacers, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami, each of whom has scalped his wicket once.
Let us have a look at the five Indian spinners who have got the better of Joe Root in their familiar home conditions in the longest format of the game.
The 5 spinners who have accounted for Joe Root's wicket in Test matches played in India
#T4: Piyush Chawla - Once
Joe Root made his Test debut in the fourth Test of England's tour to India played at Nagpur in December 2012. The Yorkshireman played a sublime 73-run knock in his debut innings.
Batting at No. 6 in that Test match, Root was the eighth England wicket to fall in the first innings. He was caught and bowled by Piyush Chawla off a leading edge while trying to work the leg-spinner through the leg side.
Joe Root remained unbeaten in the second innings of that Test match. Root scored 21 runs off Chawla's bowling in that encounter, which is the only Test they have played against each other.
#T4: Amit Mishra - Once
Joe Root played his second Test on Indian soil at Rajkot in November 2016. The England No. 3 smashed his only Test century on Indian soil in the first innings of the encounter, before being caught and bowled by Umesh Yadav.
Amit Mishra scalped Joe Root's wicket in the second innings of the same match. The leg-spinner got Root to top-edge a slog sweep to be caught by Wriddhiman Saha behind the wickets after scoring just 4 runs.
This is the only occasion Mishra has accounted for Joe Root's wicket in the couple of Test matches they have played against each other on Indian soil. He has conceded 49 runs in the bargain.
#T2: Ravichandran Ashwin - Twice
The second Test of England's tour to India in 2016 was played at Visakhapatnam. Joe Root played a 53-run knock in the visitors' first-innings of that Test match.
He holed out to Umesh Yadav at long-off after being deceived in the flight by Ravichandran Ashwin while trying to play a big shot. Root was trapped plumb in front of the wickets in the second innings of that match by Mohammed Shami.
Ashwin again got the better of Joe Root in the first innings of the fourth Test of the same series, played at Mumbai. The wily off-spinner had Root caught by Virat Kohli at first slip by luring him into a drive and getting the outside edge. Root scored 21 runs in that innings.
These are the only two instances to date of Ashwin dismissing Joe Root in the longest format of the game on Indian pitches. Root has scored 180 runs off the lanky spinner's bowling in Tests away from home, thereby having an outstanding average of 90.00 against him.
#T2: Jayant Yadav - Twice
Jayant Yadav is the other off-spinner to have scalped Joe Root's wicket in Test matches on Indian soil. He first accounted for the England batting mainstay in the first innings of the third Test of the aforementioned series, played at Mohali.
Root was caught plumb in front of the wickets while trying to pull Jayant Yadav as the ball stayed slightly low. The England No. 3 scored just 15 runs in that innings.
Jayant Yadav dismissed Root in the second innings of the fourth Test at Mumbai as well. The England batsman was again trapped in front while playing off the back foot against a quicker delivery bowled by Yadav after having scored 77 runs.
Jayant Yadav's two dismissals of Joe Root have cost him just 21 runs in the three Tests they have played against each other on Indian soil.
#1: Ravindra Jadeja - Thrice
Ravindra Jadeja is the only Indian bowler to have dismissed Joe Root on three occasions in Test matches on home soil. The left-arm spinner first got the better of Joe Root in the second innings of the third Test of England's tour to India, played at Mohali in November 2016.
Jadeja got Root to edge a catch to Ajinkya Rahane at first slip after the England opener in that innings had scored 78 runs.
The final Test of England's last tour to India was played at the Chepauk in December 2016. Joe Root was caught behind by Parthiv Patel off Jadeja's bowling while trying to play the sweep shot in the first innings of the encounter.
Ravindra Jadeja also accounted for Root's wicket in the second innings of the same match. The right-hander was trapped in front of the wickets while again playing the sweep shot.
In both these innings, Root was given out by the third umpire after Virat Kohli reviewed the initial not-out decisions given by the on-field umpires.
Joe Root has scored 161 runs off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling in Test matches on Indian soil for these three dismissals, thereby averaging a healthy 53.67 against him.