"It was an ugly un-Root-like shot to end his innings"- Michael Atherton on Joe Root's dismissal during Day 4 of IND vs ENG 2nd Test
Former England skipper Michael Atherton was disappointed with how star batter Joe Root got dismissed on Day 4 of the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Root had gotten off to an excellent start, but played one shot too many as he was dismissed for 16 by Ravichandran Ashwin. The right-hander tried to slog the off-spinner across the line without getting to the pitch of the ball. The extra bounce made the ball take a top edge straight into the hands of the short third man.
In his column for The Times after the conclusion of the second Test, here's what Michael Atherton had to say about Joe Root's dismissal and the latter's overall form in the series so far:
"Joe Root, in particular, has yet to get going in the series. His brilliance is not in question and he remains England’s best player in all conditions and especially in India — he passed 1,000 Tests runs in the country in his second innings — but with 52 runs in four innings, he has yet to find his stride. He now has a nine-day break to reflect on matters. It was an ugly un-Root-like shot to end his innings."
An injury to Root's finger might have forced him to play in an ultra-aggressive manner. However, if England are to win the Test series, Root may need to bat for longer periods and have a massive contribution.
Michael Atherton doesn't expect England to throw in the towel
England had also won the first game of their previous Test series on Indian soil in 2021, only to end up getting hammered 3-1. However, Michael Atherton doesn't feel that the 106-run loss in Visakhapatnam will dampen the visitors' morale this time.
On this, he stated:
"Whereas England won the first Test in 2021 before folding meekly, this does not feel as though it will necessarily be a repeat. India have shown some frailties of their own in batting and have been put under enough pressure in the field to suggest that if England’s key batsmen find their best form, all is not lost."
England will know that had a couple of their batters scored big, they could have come close to India's target of 399. The visitors will now be heading to Abu Dhabi to have a short break before returning for the third Test to be played in Rajkot on February 15.