“Still think there are question marks over Joe Root’s leadership” - Nick Compton feels England captain is a work in progress
Former England batsman Nick Compton feels Joe Root's captaincy will remain under the scanner because he still hasn’t settled into the role. According to Compton, Root’s tactical flaws came to the fore on Day 5 at Lord’s and hurt England’s chances.
The England captain hit a masterful 180 not out in the first innings of the Lord’s Test. However, an unbeaten 89-run stand between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah in India’s second innings put the visitors ahead as England’s short ball ploy backfired.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Compton was asked to differentiate between the captaincy styles of Virat Kohli and Joe Root. The 38-year-old explained:
“Kohli’s captaincy is very in-your-face. We can see the way that he does things. He gets on the front foot. Joe Root is more subdued. He has had a lot of criticism in terms of his captaincy. He has taken some time to work out how he wants to captain the team and move forward. The most important thing with Joe Root is that he is scoring a lot of runs for England. There was a period where it was suggested that his captaincy is affecting his batting.”
Terming Joe Root a tough character, Compton admitted that the England skipper needs to work on the tactical side of his leadership. He reckoned:
“I am not sure if Joe Root is tactically the best captain. He is growing into the position. It takes time to transition in that position, to work out your batting and captaincy. There is definitely an angle that Joe Root needs to get a bit tougher and stronger. He is a tough guy and there’s a real mental toughness to him. Tactically giving the team an edge is an aspect of his captaincy that may come or may not come. I still think there are question marks over Joe Root’s leadership. The mistake he made on Day 5 - the irony is, he basically kept England in the game (with his batting) but lost England the game on Day 5.”
Monty Panesar suggests how India can get rid of Joe Root early
Former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has suggested that Virat Kohli should get Jasprit Bumrah to bowl whenever Joe Root comes out to bat. Bumrah dismissed the England captain for 33 in the second innings of the Lord’s Test.
Speaking to the Times of India, Panesar said:
"The way to get him out is to bowl at the fifth stump line and outside the off stump. His wicket was planned by Virat in the second innings and Bumrah executed it well. Virat should again make a plan against Root. Root plays the pull shot really well, so don't bowl short pitch balls to him.”
He added:
"Virat should bring in Bumrah straightway whenever Root comes to the crease. Both Bumrah and Siraj have the ability to put pressure on a batsman from the word go. That's what they did with Root in the second innings and the captain lost his wicket."
England went on to lose the second Test at Lord’s by 151 runs, crumbing to 120 all out while chasing 272 for victory.