"Joe Root continued from where he left off in Sri Lanka" - Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra has lauded Joe Root for playing a sublime knock on the first day of the Chennai Test against India, continuing the rich vein of form he exhibited in Sri Lanka last month.
Joe Root amassed 426 runs in the two-match Test series against the island nation. He followed that up with a majestic unbeaten 128-run knock at the Chepauk in Chennai.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Ashish Nehra said that Joe Root produced a chanceless knock. The England captain started cautiously before unleashing his sweep shots to punish the Indian bowlers.
"Joe Root continued from where he left off in Sri Lanka. He batted amazingly well and did not give any chance. He was not seen in any difficulty. He took his time before playing the sweep shots. He didn't try to play the sweep shot in his first 30-35 deliveries. But once he was set, he showed his dominating side," said Nehra.
"Joe Root built his innings very well" - Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra also commended Joe Root for showing restraint against Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma when the ball was reversing, while playing aggressive strokes against Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem.
The former Indian pacer also observed that the England batting mainstay made his experience count by refraining from playing the sweep shot at the start of his innings.
"That is where the experience shows, and he is also the man in form. As I said, he did not play the sweep shots in the beginning. It is not that he cannot play the sweep shot against Ravichandran Ashwin. I would say it is easier to play the sweep against Ashwin compared to Washington Sundar, who bowls quicker and is difficult to play the sweep against," observed Nehra.
Ashish Nehra also highlighted how Joe Root targetted Sundar and Nadeem because of their relative inexperience in Tests.
"But he took his time, and after that whether it was Washington Sundar or Ravichandran Ashwin, and because of that, they had a run rate of almost four in the final session. When you are experienced, you also choose the bowlers on whom to apply pressure. He also knows that Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem have played just the one Test match each. So he built his innings very well and that is why you are seeing these runs on the scoreboard," concluded Nehra.
Joe Root's unbeaten 128-run knock has come off just 197 deliveries and includes 14 fours and a solitary six.
He will hope to carry on the good work and score a big hundred to give the visitors an upper hand in the Test and pile on the pressure on India.