Joe Root went to the ACA-VDCA Stadium’s practice facilities along with England’s batting coach Marcus Trescothick while the rest of the squad warmed up at the main ground on Thursday.
Then, just as he did on Wednesday, Root batted left-handed for quite some time at nets, taking throwdowns from Trescothick and reverse-sweeping on a left-hander’s stance.
It won’t be too much of a surprise if Root bats left-handed for a ball or two in the second Test against the Indian bowling attack, depending on the situation. He had done something similar in the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi back in December 2022 to counter leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood.
“Bazball is not about being funky. It’s mostly about doing what’s convenient and needs to be done based on the situation to put the opposition off track. So, you’ll get to see what happens as the Test begins,” an England team source said.
Irrespective of Root’s success with the bat, his value
as an off-spinner in the ongoing series has certainly gone up, thanks to his game-haul
of 5/120 in the opening Test, including a four-for in the first innings.
With Ben Stokes unable to bowl, coupled with an inexperienced spin attack, Root’s performance as a bowler assumes much importance.
“Having someone like that out here to throw the ball to and change the pace of the game surely helps. So, to have the benefit of Joe’s bowling is obviously massive,” captain Stokes said.
