IND vs ENG: 3 ways to dismiss Joe Root early

Joe Root is vulnerable to spin. It could be a ploy India can use to get the better of the England skipper when the two sides meet on August 4 in the first of the five-match Test series.

After Australia, a major chunk of Root's Test innings comes against India. He's played 24 matches against the Aussies and 20 matches against Virat Kohli's men. He's stacked up 1789 runs against India at a staggering average of 54.21 that includes five centuries and nine fifties.

Root is England's batting mainstay and will look to continue his impeccable run. However, his opponents have been fairly successful in the recent past and can get the better of him.

Ahead of the upcoming all-important series that kicks off the second cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC), we take a look at three ways India could have Joe Root in the pavilion.

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#1 Use spin generously

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have grabbed Root's wicket five times each, and more so than Ashwin, Jadeja's skiddy deliveries seem to put the 30-year-old in trouble. The 10 dismissals collectively by the duo make it evident that Root has trouble getting off against Ashwin and Jadeja.

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#2 Joe Root's perennial weakness to incoming deliveries

Bowl anything that gets in that incoming delivery zone and towards the pads, and that puts Joe Root at risk of being castled.

His Test career dismissal pie chart on HowSTAT! shows the batsman has been out LBW 34 times and that hints at a weakness to anything that's pacy and raps him on the pads.

Joe Root's dismissal chart against India

The likes of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah's ability to consistently clock pace makes them key players to trap Root out early in the innings as he looks to settle into a rhythm.

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#3 Swing it both ways to get Joe Root nicking

We had discussed this plan earlier when England played against New Zealand. India has a pace battery that can make use of the swing on offer. Shami plays a pivotal role here with his ability to swing the ball both ways. He has dismissed him twice in all of their encounters against each other.