On Sunday, India took the lead in their bilateral series over England with a crushing 434-run victory at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.
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After centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja powered India to 445 in their first innings, the bowlers backed up the batting effort by bowling the visitors out for 319 after lunch on day three. Yashasvi Jaiswal then smashed 214*, helping India set England 557 to win before the bowlers stepped up to shoot them out for just 122.
Among England's woes in this series has been the form of their middle-order, including number four Joe Root, who is having one of his worst Test series in recent memory.
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Root came in for heavy criticism following his dismissal in England's first innings in Rajkot, as he attempted to reverse sweep fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah but only ended up edging to slip. Experts and fans alike suggested that he had been heavily influenced by England's new 'Bazball' style and that conventional Test batting was more suitable for him.
While England's results have been quite good under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, how has Root's form held up?
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| Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Ben Stokes' captaincy | 216 | 9889 | 42.4 | 54.7 |
| Under Ben Stokes | 37 | 1604 | 50.1 | 73.7 |
| Overall | 253 | 11493 | 49.3 | 56.7 |
Since Ben Stokes took over as England captain in April 2022, Root's record with the bat has been a notch above his career record. However, the sample size is considerably smaller, and many of his matches in this era have come on flatter home wickets prepared to assist attacking batting.
| Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Ben Stokes' captaincy | 111 | 4880 | 46.5 | 52.7 |
| Under Ben Stokes | 15 | 521 | 37.2 | 71.9 |
| Overall | 126 | 5401 | 45.4 | 54.1 |
Away from home, the numbers paint a worrying picture for Root. He is scoring much quicker than before, but his batting average has dropped significantly. He had a superb tour of New Zealand, with 319 runs in 4 innings, but his other 11 knocks in Pakistan and India have yielded just one half-century.
Given Root's success with the new method in home conditions, it would be unsuitable to suggest he cannot play in a more attacking fashion. But perhaps he needs to curb those instincts in less friendly conditions. In a setup where those around him are batting aggressively, Root can afford to play more conventionally at times.
