"Bazball cost Joe Root his wicket" - Geoffrey Boycott rues former captain's approach on Day 4 of IND vs ENG 2nd Test

Former England opener Sir Geoffrey Boycott lamented the 'Bazball' approach, given how it has affected Joe Root's form in the Test series against India. The former player said that the right-hander is usually a busy and calm player at the crease, but England's overly aggressive approach has pushed him out of his comfort zone.

Root, yet to hit form in the series, played one shot too many, resulting in his dismissal on Day 4 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Monday. The Yorkshire batter had carted two boundaries in nine deliveries but was dismissed while trying to go for another over mid-wicket off Ravichandran Ashwin.

Root's wicket was critical for India as they rammed home the advantage to level the series. In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott said that it was needless of Root to try to play aggressively from the outset and that he must stick to his strengths.

"Bazball cost Joe Root his wicket. As soon as he came in, he was dancing down the pitch trying to hit over the top and very soon swiped it up in the air. He only scored 16.

"England’s best technical batsman is normally a busy player who scores at a good rate, but trying to go after the bowling as soon as he comes in takes him out of his comfort zone."

Root has especially been found wanting by Jasprit Bumrah, who has dismissed him eight times in Tests, including twice in the ongoing series. The former captain has registered two single-figure scores in four innings in the series, with a highest of only 29.

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"There is no substitute for runs" - Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Boycott also agreed with Sir Alastair Cook's recent statement about Root's confidence in fitting in England's current side despite Ben Stokes claiming otherwise:

"It sounds great to the public and good copy for our media when Stokes says we will chase down any target, and Sir Alastair Cook wouldn’t get in this team. That is nonsense.

"Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are doing well and have plenty of time left in their careers to become even better. But, at the moment, there is no way they are better than Cook, and he did right to reply that his weight of runs would have earned him a place in this team. There is no substitute for runs."

With a 10-day gap ahead of the third Test in Rajkot, England will introspect on their performance in Vizag to come back strongly in the series.