England tour of India (5 Tests)

[Bevab]

I think Alastair Cook summed it up quite well today. The problem wasn't Root playing the shot but the timing could be questioned tactically. India are down a bowler, Jadeja seemingly on limited duties and Bumrah is the biggest threat who could've been seen off with Root our best player of spin on a wicket not showing too many demons.

Agreed, it is a Root problem at the end of the day but I guess that doesn’t generate as much clicks as “BAZBALL BAD”.

I also think that something going under the radar that I keep pointing out is that Root has become a batting all-rounder over the last year. Expecting him to fulfil this new role and be a number four in form is too demanding. At the very least they should start by switching their order around for batting.

 

[Aislabie]

Agreed, it is a Root problem at the end of the day but I guess that doesn’t generate as much clicks as “BAZBALL BAD”.

I also think that something going under the radar that I keep pointing out is that Root has become a batting all-rounder over the last year. Expecting him to fulfil this new role and be a number four in form is too demanding. At the very least they should start by switching their order around for batting.

I guess it's the same root cause as any other run of bad batting form: Root is struggling, perhaps fatigued, perhaps lacking confidence, and as a result his decision making is all scrambled. But because the Stokes-McCullum era of English cricket has so tied itself to giving players absolute freedom to make whatever they think the best decision is, that also extends to players having the scope to make decisions that are so much more visibly wrong. In this case, the same issues that in a normal environment would probably lead to a player chasing a wide one without moving their feet instead manifest as Root playing that shot against Bumrah. Or that shot against Ashwin last Test.

And frankly, it is distressing to watch the best England player that most people will have seen in their lifetime throw their wicket away so visibly in important situations two innings in a row (the importance of the game situations at both points where Root played those shots is almost certainly not a coincidence either - it's not like his decision making was ever fantastic under pressure as captain either) and no wonder that there's a lot of bad press flying around today.

The option of moving Root down the order is an interesting one: he does average a staggering 66.60 batting at five, following a trend of him being considerably more prolific the later in the innings he comes to the crease. That would of course leave a gap at number four - does Dan Lawrence fill it?

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Looks like Kuldeep Yadav got a software update.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Kulball is here

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Anna is back.

Time to get that cocky Duckett early.

 

[Bevab]

Anna is back.

Time to get that cocky Duckett early.

Hope he’s feeling fine to play and this isn’t due to any pressure from external factors.

Duckett’s comments were really bizarre in the context of Jaiswal being from the same country that has the quickest opener in test history.

 

[Bigby Wolf]

Hope he’s feeling fine to play and this isn’t due to any pressure from external factors.

Duckett’s comments were really bizarre in the context of Jaiswal being from the same country that has the quickest opener in test history.

For me it was his comments about India sending a night watchman after having 300+ lead and not sure what to do.

 

[Bevab]

For me it was his comments about India sending a night watchman after having 300+ lead and not sure what to do.

I can only assume Baz is instructing them to give more and more ridiculous soundbites for the media because the alternative is that Baz has somehow found a group of lads who are as delusional and high-energy as he is.

 

[pillowprocter]

Jaiswal has currently gotten a third of his 180 runs in sixes

 

[Bigby Wolf]

I just realized that we are witnessing a transition period in test matches from India.

This is what the future batting lineup will look like in the coming years and it looks like a good exciting prospect.

 

[asprin]

Don't think Rohit and Co were aware of the no of sixes record. It was there for the taking.

If England can be 200-1 or 200-2 or so, that should make things interesting. It will still be a huge task at that point but at least it would make for some exciting cricket.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Don't think Rohit and Co were aware of the no of sixes record. It was there for the taking.

If England can be 200-1 or 200-2 or so, that should make things interesting. It will still be a huge task at that point but at least it would make for some exciting cricket.

If England get 300 it'll be an achievement.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

 

[Till Valhalla]

Hope he’s feeling fine to play and this isn’t due to any pressure from external factors.

Duckett’s comments were really bizarre in the context of Jaiswal being from the same country that has the quickest opener in test history.

What is the other comment

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Good to see Ashwin is back.

I can only assume Baz is instructing them to give more and more ridiculous soundbites for the media because the alternative is that Baz has somehow found a group of lads who are as delusional and high-energy as he is.

I think Duckett just has a dry sense of humour or is a sh!t-poster in human form.