Joe Root has unfinished business against India. He was in full flight in the last series when India cut him down by blatant use of home advantage.
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That Root had forced India to the desperate tactic of preparing rank turners was a testament to how well he was playing. After starting the tour in Sri Lanka with a double hundred (228) and 186 at Galle, Root kicked-off the India-leg with a double century (218) in Chennai last February. All three innings were a fine display of skill, concentration, stamina and strokeplay.
Riding on their captain’s innings, England comfortably won the first Test in India. As is always the case in cricket’s bilateral contests, the home team prepares pitches to suit its strength. So, a rattled India went for the tried and tested spin formula.
That Root’s off-spinners fetched a fifer in the third Test showed the help slow bowlers got in Ahmedabad which also hosted the fourth Test after the first two were held in Chennai. India successfully halted Root’s runs and the final three Tests of that series were a chastening experience for him. And not just because with those heavy losses, England ended their run of four successive series wins.
Even if he was seething inside, the England captain refused to offer any excuses for the defeats. In the return five-Test series beginning this week, the roles will be reversed. England have home advantage. Root and his batsmen will not be short of motivation and if the England captain can reproduce his form, the pressure will be on the Indian bowlers.
Duel with Ashwin
India have a potent and balanced attack that could put England’s batsmen under pressure even in conditions they are comfortable in. Weaned on seaming wickets, most Englishmen deal with pace and swing well but where Root stands out is that he has a solid game against spin as well --- always a big help against a team from the sub-continent. Root’s overall record against India is excellent, averaging 54.21 in 20 Tests. The aggregate of 1789 runs with five centuries is the most he has scored against any team.
Ever since Root made his debut in Nagpur with a promising innings of 73, he has troubled India. He dominated the 2014 series at home (518 runs, average of 103.60), scoring two big hundreds and three half-centuries. In his first seven Tests against India, he had three hundreds and four half-centuries. England faced heavy defeats on their tour of India in 2016 but Root finished with 491 runs. In the 2018 series, the returns were limited in the first four Tests but Root got a 125 in the last game.
India’s success against Australia (2020-21), which came before the last England series, was based on how well the pace and spin attacks complimented each other. First R Ashwin and then his replacement Washington Sundar continued the pressure applied by the pacers and picked wickets.
The Root versus Ashwin battle will be one of the highlights of the English summer. Ashwin’s record in England is ordinary but the India off-spinner is better prepared for the challenge this time. He has worked on his game by playing county cricket (representing Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey). In preparation for this series, he played a game for Surrey last month where he took six wickets against Somerset.
One of the strengths of Root’s game against spin is his mastery of the sweep shot. He used it to good effect in the three big innings in this part of the world earlier this year. Against India in Chennai, Ashwin and left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem were dismantled by the use of both the conventional and the reverse sweep, mixed with paddle sweeps.
“For me it is a lucrative shot. Something that generates a lot of runs for me,” he had said then.
It’s a stroke Root mastered as a frail, teenage batsman. “It took me a long time to grow and develop physically. So, I had to find a way of getting the ball off the square against the spinners in particular. There wasn’t any pace to work with. And the sweep was the one shot that I could actually generate the most power with. So learning to play that very well was pretty much the only scoring option for my junior career.
“I think since then I have tried to develop my game a bit more broadly. There is minimal risk in playing that shot. But I think my club ground --- for an English ground --- actually spun quite consistently. We had a very good overseas pro in Nadeem Khan. I was able to practice against him all the time. Speak to him all the time and even from 12-13 years old… had a good education on how to go about that side of the battle,” said Root.
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If Ashwin has to stop the England star from dominating, he has to find a way to stop the horizontal bat shots. While the experienced spinner has an outstanding record against left-handers, he has troubled even the best right-handers when there is assistance from the surface as seen against Steve Smith in Australia.
Ashwin thrives on extracting bounce from the wicket. If there is good bounce, the sweep can become a risky option, Sachin Tendulkar had said before India left for England. If there’s good bounce the leg-stump line of attack will also come into play, said Tendulkar.
“When there is bounce you are bowling in the stumps, then it can get more effective. When there is bounce and no turn then you would want to keep the ball in line, and if there is bounce and turn, you move marginally outside off-stump. Eventually, the idea is to be (at) top of off and middle stump,” Tendulkar said.
In the one-on-one battle between Ashwin and Root, game plans are expected to vary from venue to venue and session to session depending on the conditions.