England legend Alastair Cook has lauded Joe Root for his Bazball-defying century in the fourth Test.
The 33-year-old Root rediscovered his old touch as he looked in control during
his unbeaten 122, which resurrected England to 353 in their first innings after they
were left tottering at 112/5 on Day I of the ongoing fourth Test in Ranchi.
“When you see someone go through a little trouble, it’s always great to see them out the other end. When great players don’t score runs it’s only a matter of time until they do,” Cook told TNT Sport on Friday.
“What Joe Root did was go back to basics... All the talk about the reverse scoop being unusual, this is a very typical Joe innings. Slightly slower than normal but the tempo and his rhythm of batting is what makes him stand out. When he’s in fine flow he’s got such a nice easy way about him, Rohit (Sharma)-like. Pure and utter class, great player of spin and he has all the options covered.”
It was Root’s first century in the five-match series following scores of 29, 2, 5, 16, 18, 7 in his last six Test innings.
“Root has played beautifully today. It has been a very different Root to what we have seen in the series, one who has been playing with control...It has been very un-Bazball, for those who like the entertainment, but very effective.”
