"If it wasn’t for Root, India would be 3-0 up" - Usman Khawaja
Australia batter Usman Khawaja lauded Joe Root for his exceptional run of form against the touring Indian side. Khawaja felt that the only factor standing between India and a series victory is Joe Root.
The England skipper has been head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in aggregating runs. He has a total of 507 runs from three Test matches, including three centuries. Second on the list is KL Rahul, who is quite a distance away at 252 runs.
Usman Khawaja stated on his YouTube channel that India would have been 3-0 ahead hadn’t it been for the phenomenal form of Joe Root.
“Joe Root again, on fire. He has batted like the class batsman he is. He has been one of the best in the world for a long time. India need to find a way to get him out early. He is the difference right now. If it wasn’t for Root, India would be 3-0 up. Root is the one who has been stopping it,” Khawaja said.
The southpaw added that Virat Kohli will be under immense pressure with his opposite number producing the goods. He admitted that Kohli has been looking good and a century might be just around the corner.
“I feel like it’s around the corner. He has been looking good. 40 this innings, he's got a couple of starts. And whether he can come out and score runs and make a big one for India, Root has been doing it at the other end. Will Virat be doing it? Everyone is watching it. The eyes are on him. The pressure is on him. I would love to see him respond in the right way.”
“Still think India will win, but the confidence has just come down a little bit” – Usman Khawaja
Usman Khawaja opined that the changes that England made to their batting line-up during the course of the series have strengthened the side. The middle-order seems much stronger with the amount of experience it now possesses.
“The changes that England have done to their batting line-up, I actually think that they have straightened their batting line-up. I do think that having a middle-order with (Dawid) Malan, (Joe) Root, (Jonny) Bairstow, (Jos) Buttler, experienced guys who have played a lot of international cricket, gives England the best chance of winning the series,” Usman Khawaja added.
Usman Khawaja believes India still have the edge when it comes to winning the series.
“I was really confident about India winning before. Still think India will win, but the confidence has just come down a little bit because experience always trumps out everything else. I think India is going to win,” Usman Khawaja signed off.
The series between India and England is tied at 1-1 after the first three Tests. The fourth match of the series will commence at the Oval on September 2.