"Trying to find ways to get you out"- Joe Root opens up on the difference between facing Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon

Star England batter Joe Root has had the privilege of playing against two of the best Test spinners of the modern era - Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon. Over the years, Root has tried to figure out how the duo set up a batter.

Root opined that Ashwin has several tricks up his sleeve and didn't shy away from mixing it up even in the longest format. He felt the Indian off-spinner always kept him guessing and eventually found a way to keep several modes of dismissals open.

Speaking to the Sky Sports Podcast, Joe Root said about Ravichandran Ashwin:

"I'd say, Ashwin is making sure that you don't play the previous ball. He is very good at trying to drag you across the crease and get your head to one side of it and beat both edges quite frequently. Ashwin is probably slightly trying to find ways of getting you out rather than trying to wear you down, over long periods of time."

Root has scored 418 runs in the 692 balls he has faced from Ashwin in Tests. However, the veteran off-spinner has dismissed Root as many as seven times.

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Joe Root on Nathan Lyon's approach

With Nathan Lyon, Joe Root feels it's more of a set plan where the Aussie tries to remain patient with a tight line and length and waits for the batter to make a mistake. Lyon has mostly bowled to Root on pitches where there hasn't been extravagant help on offer for the spinner straightaway.

The former England skipper felt that in such situations, Lyon leans to get extra bounce and bring the close catchers into play. However, as the game progresses and the rough patches develop, Root feels Lyon tries to hit those patches by getting his line a bit wider.

"With Lyon it is all about, I think, especially in the first half of the Test match to get really over the top of the ball, get bounce bowl in between you like the knee roll and hit and try to bring short leg and leg slip into the game as much as he can and then just slowly, get slower with his pace and drift wider into that. There's that footmarks, um, Mitchell Starc has so kindly done for him for such a long period of time," Root elaborated.

Nathan Lyon has dismissed Joe Root a staggering eight times in Test cricket.

Both Lyon and Ashwin have recently made their entry into the 500-wicket club in Tests and the latter is set to play his 100th Test in Dharamshala on Thursday, March 7, when India lock horns with England.