“Who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds?” – Ben Stokes comes in defense of Joe Root amidst poor batting display.
England skipper Ben Stokes playfully acknowledged that Joe Root’s dismissal while attempting a reverse scoop shot in the first innings in Rajkot turned the tide of the match. However, he quipped that he wouldn’t question the stroke choice of someone with 30 Test centuries and 12,000 runs under his belt.
Root has endured a challenging tour of India thus far, with his highest score being 29 in three Tests. In the Rajkot Test’s first innings, the right-handed batsman was caught at second slip off Jasprit Bumrah for 18 runs as he attempted the reverse scoop shot. This dismissal instigated a batting collapse as England lost eight wickets for 95 runs.
Stokes in press conference said Yeah, because [Root] he got out to it [reverse scoop], it definitely was a turning point, Joe Root’s scored nearly 12,000 runs, I think we can leave the decision-making and ‘why’ with Joe. I can understand why there would be frustration around that because of how good a player Joe is.”
After England’s comprehensive 434-run loss in Rajkot, Stokes came to Root’s defense amidst mounting criticism over his shot selection not only in Rajkot but throughout the series against India as a whole. Regarding Root’s unsuccessful attempt to counter Bumrah in the first innings in Rajkot, Stokes mentioned that it was a strategic move to unsettle the opposition and compel them to alter their game plans, saying
“Jasprit Bumrah has got him out a couple of times this tour early on. And I thought Joe was looking really, really good at the crease, and he sensed that as a time to put something different back onto Jasprit and make him maybe think about something. Because what that shot does for Joe is it makes fields change, makes bowlers’ mindset change towards him.”
“He got out to it, and it’s not a shot you necessarily see Test match players playing. But look, who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds, nearly 12,000 Test match runs? I think he knows what he’s doing,” he added in defense of the seasoned batter.