“It might be I choose not to sweep as much” - Joe Root on playing spin in India

Ahead of the four-match Test series against India, England captain Joe Root has hinted he might not sweep as much as he has over the years in the subcontinent. The first match begins on Friday (February 5) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

In addition to amassing 426 runs at an average of 106.50 across the two Tests in Sri Lanka last month, Joe Root drew a lot of accolades for playing shots down on one knee, behind square on both sides of the pitch. Upon quizzed whether he will stick to his strength, the right-handed batsman stated he will maneuver his game based on the conditions on offer and the bowling attack he will be up against.

“The challenge here will be assessing what’s right in front of us, assessing the attack that they pick and then just trying to pick it apart and find a way of scoring runs. And it might be that I don’t have to sweep as much, or I chose not to sweep as much. But I’ll have to find a different way of scoring my runs, and that’s the beauty of batting," Joe Root responded to a question by Sportskeeda on Thursday.

The 30-year-old further added in this regard:

“That’s the thing that I really enjoy about it is that you can’t just bank on one way of doing things all the time, you have to look to get better, you have to look at different ways of scoring runs and manipulate the field, and trying to get on top of the bowler. And when you come across one of the best sides in the world – especially in their own conditions – like India, that challenge is something that I am really looking forward to."

🤲 @MSDhoni behind the stumps! 🤩 @Sachin_RT on the field! 🏏 @Root66 remembers his Test debutFull interview 📽👇 #R100T #INDvENG

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) February 3, 2021

Notably, Joe Root was the highest run-scorer during England’s previous visit to India in 2016-17. He scored a staggering 491 runs at an average of 49.10 in the five-match Test series.

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“That was the lowest risk option for scoring runs” – Joe Root on batting in Sri Lanka

Joe Root en rounte scoring a 321-ball 228 against Sri Lanka in Galle [Credits: Guardian]

Very few English batsmen have come across as good players of spin, and Joe Root will undoubtedly find himself in the top three. It was amply apparent on the recent Sri Lanka tour where he employed traditional sweeps, paddle sweeps, and even reverse sweeps to perfection.

Joe Root revealed the pitches in Sri Lanka allowed him to sweep without any fuss. He, however, cautioned against the pitches in India aiding bounce, which will then block his 'lucrative' run-scoring option.

“For me, it is quite a lucrative shot, something that generates a lot of runs for me. But I think the conditions and the way that the pitches were in Sri Lanka, that was the lowest risk option for scoring runs. And actually, that was my way of managing the fields and combating what they had to offer," Root added.

Joe Root, who will be playing his 100th Test in Chennai, signed off by saying:

“It might be there’s a little more bounce, it might be that there’s not as much turn and it becomes a more dangerous shot out here. And I might have to find different ways of scoring runs, but I suppose that’s the art of batting, just trying to implement a game and strategy of scoring runs on different surfaces.”

Joe Root would be eager to lead by example and seal a date with New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final. While England need to win at least three of the four Tests to seal the spot, Virat Kohli’s men need to wrap up the series with a margin of two Tests.

Who is this generation's cover drive 👑? pic.twitter.com/Ka9Cs2UlmK

— ICC (@ICC) February 3, 2021

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