"You should get his Aadhaar Card made if you see his performances against India" - Aakash Chopra lauds Joe Root
Aakash Chopra has light-heartedly said that Joe Root should be given Indian citizenship considering the success he has enjoyed against their attack.
Root smashed an unbeaten 180 in England's first innings score of 391 in the ongoing second Test at Lord's. The knock came on the back of a century he scored against the same opposition in the first Test at Trent Bridge.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra lauded Joe Root for his consistent performances against India. He said:
"Joe Root is absolutely sensational, he is not looking like stopping. You should get his Aadhaar Card made if you see his performances against India, link his Aadhaar Card, get his KYC done, do everything and make him Indian."
The former Indian opener pointed out that Joe Root has been in outstanding form in 2021. Chopra elaborated:
"He has hit two half-centuries this year and has struck five centuries. He has hit four hundreds at Lord's, all of them are grand-daddy hundreds and quite a few of them are not out as well. If we talk about this series, he has played three knocks, he has made one half-century and two hundreds."
Joe Root has amassed 1244 runs at an excellent average of 69.11 in just ten Tests he has played this year. His five centuries include two double hundreds and a couple of scores in the 180s.
"Joe Root is making the bowlers bowl to him" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Joe Root has played to his strengths. He explained:
"The one thing I liked about him a lot is that firstly, he is disciplined to begin with and secondly, he is making the bowlers bowl to him, that they should come close to him and he will not go far to hit."
The 43-year-old signed off by praising Joe Root for delivering the goods despite the immense pressure on him. Chopra cited examples of Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara to drive home his point:
"Thirdly, he must feel like Sachin Paaji felt in the early 90s when he was alone, Brian Lara for the majority of his career, Root is absolutely alone because this team does not have that prowess. If Joe Root gets out, this team becomes half."
The importance of Joe Root's knock can be ascertained by the fact that Jonny Bairstow was the only other English batsman to cross the half-century mark in their first innings.