"Come on Joe"- Michael Atherton feels that one has to feel bad for Joe Root, who's "carrying all the burden" on his shoulders

Former England skipper Michael Atherton has highlighted the English test side's overdependence on Joe Root. The 53-year-old has lamented that Root has been carrying all the burden of his team for some time now.

A riveting final hour in Melbourne in the ongoing Ashes saw the visitors get reduced to 22/4 after an early collapse by from their top-order. This brought Ben Stokes and Joe Root into the middle and much will be dependent on the duo on Day 3 of the third Ashes Test.

Former England opener Mike Atherton broke down a dramatic Day 2 on Monday while speaking on SkySports. He expressed how 'cynical' English journals went "Come on Joe" when the Yorkshireman scored a confident straight drive early in his innings. Atherton said:

"It was fantastic just to sit there in the press box, the windows were open so you've got the atmosphere. When Root hit the ball down the ground, the cynical English journals like me were applauding and saying 'Come on Joe' because you had to feel for him, carrying all the burden."

While not criticizing English batters much, the right-hander mentioned that many sides would've lost three or four wickets on a difficult surface at the MCG. With Ben Stokes and Joe Root still in the middle, all is not lost for England, according to Atherton. He divulged that:

"A lot of sides could've easily lost 3-4 wickets there. Thankfully Joe Root stayed until the end. Watching him come out on a hat-trick ball, ran out of trouble, skipping to the middle. He finished with a firm drive. Ben Stokes is still there. All is not lost but it's a very, very difficult match to overhaul from here."

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"England paying a penalty for the bad first day they've had" - Atherton following England's deplorable state in the 3rd Test

Australia v England - 3rd Test: Day 2

The tourists had a forgettable first day when they were bundled out for 185 runs and conceded 61 runs just inside 15 overs. However, they did a remarkable job in the first two sessions of Day 2, restricting Australia to 267 runs.

A fiesty opening spell by Aussie bowlers saw England reeling at 31/4, leaving them in a stranded state. Atherton pointed out England's poor performance on Day 1. He felt the visitors would've been in the game if they somehow managed to score 250 in the first innings.

''England are paying a penalty for the bad first day they had. They should've scrambled to 250 in the first innings and they'd still be well in the game because of how well they bowled today," Atherton concluded.

With Australia having the upper hand in the game, an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series might be on the cards for the hosts. Day 3 of the third Ashes Test is scheduled to begin at 5:00 a.m. IST on Tuesday.