What’s the story?
England vice-captain, Joe Root is likely to miss the start of England’s limited-overs leg in India. Root has decided to stay back home to witness the birth of his first child. According to a report in The Mail, the Yorkshire man has opted not to travel back to India until his partner Carrie has given birth to the baby.
A statement released by the England and Wales Cricket board revealed that Joe Root is not expected to be amongst the travelling party as things stand currently.
In case you didn’t know...
The England team which went back to their country after the Test series owing to the Christmas break is scheduled to return to India Thursday, January 5, and would play the first of their two warm-up matches on January 10.
Also read: Joe Root one of my favourite batsmen in world cricket, says Virat Kohli
The situation is similar to what England’s Test captain faced back in October, when after the birth of his daughter, he decided to join the squad almost immediately in Bangladesh.
The heart of the matter
If the natural course of pregnancy is taken into account, Root’s participation in the second warm-up game which is scheduled on January 12, and for the first ODI on January 15 in Pune remains rather bleak.
It would be interesting to see if the management decides to rope in Root straight into the squad once he is available without any practice with the white ball.
What next?
Root has been prolific for England across all formats and was one of the shining lights in the just-concluded Test series. England were hammered 4-0 by hosts India, but Root looked secure in Indian conditions.
He walks in at number 3 for England, which is a very critical position for any team and thus his unavailability is a big jolt to England’s chances.
Sportskeeda’s Take
However, Root should ideally not require and practice with the white ball and such has been his form and promise that once he is available, he should walk into the playing XI.
He scored 491 runs in the Test series before the Christmas break and is well versed with the conditions and the Indian team.
His ability against the white ball is also not under any cloud, more so in subcontinental conditions where he thrived in World T20 2016.
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