Image Credit- AP
After a strong second day in Ranchi where the last
portions of his 31st Test century gave way to a determined bowling display led
by the 19-year-old offspinner Shoaib Bashir, Joe Root is sure that England have
established a firm hold on the fourth Test against India.
With just wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel among their remaining recognised batsmen,
India had reached 219 for 7 at the end of their opening innings, still well
down by 134 runs. Furthermore, Root understands that any lead might be vital in
the closing stages of the match on a surface that is already providing a
considerable amount of unpredictable bounce.
“We’ve got ourselves into a nice position at the end of the first
innings,” Root said at the close of play. “So we’ll see how things
progress throughout the game. Obviously, it looks like it’s going to keep
deteriorating and keep getting worse. So if we can get three early wickets
tomorrow, hopefully that puts us in a really strong position for the rest of
the game.”
But as of right now, Root’s unbeaten 122 off 274 balls
appears to be the game’s most notable innings. He helped add 51 runs for the
last three wickets in the morning session after saving England from a
precarious 112 for 5 at lunch on the first day. He acknowledged that the
performance had been cathartic following his problems for form in the first
three Tests.
“It’s been nice to contribute this week,” he added, having managed a
top score of 29 in his previous six innings in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Rajkot.
“It has been a lean series for me. So I was desperate to try and get some
runs for the guys, and it was nice to do that today. And hopefully that can
continue that for the rest of the series now.”
The second day, however, was dominated by Bashir’s
outstanding display with the ball. He bowled 32 overs, interrupted only by
intervals and a solitary change of ends before the close of play, to return
figures of 4 for 84, which are already his best figures in all first-class
cricket.
“[Bashir’s] brilliant,” Root said. “He’s a great young lad to
have in the group. I’ve not seen much of him, and I might not have known much
about him before this series, but he’s got a great character. He’s got a great
sense of humour. He takes it all out to the field. And he’s clearly, as you can
see, got huge amounts of ability and skill and a lot to offer, especially on a
surface like this.
“It was great to see him keep coming, time and time again today, asking
really difficult questions of their order. And again, he should take a lot of
confidence for the rest of this game and moving on as well.”