Root happy to be an England 'rock star'
Joe Root said England captain Ben Stokes had urged the side to play like "rock stars" following a record-breaking win over India.
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England Cricket Trolls Virat Kohli After Edgbaston Victory, And It Has A Jonny Bairstow Reference
With a crushing defeat to England in the Edgbaston Test, the Indian cricket team has failed to seize the opportunity to register its fourth Test series win in the country. Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, who have made chasing tricky targets in Test matches fashionable, put the famed Indian pace attack to sword with imposing hundreds as England recorded their highest ever chase of 378 runs with minimum fuss to level the five-match series 2-2. When England were rattled on the fourth afternoon by stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah, the two star batters didn't waver from their game plan. On the fifth day, England needed just under 20 overs to knock off the remaining 119 runs.
England's rock or a rock star? Joe Root looks to strike a balance
Former skipper Root and Jonny Bairstow smashed unbeaten centuries against India to chase down 378 and win the fifth Test by seven wickets on Tuesday. That series-levelling victory was England's highest successful run-chase and another example of the swashbuckling style of play that has become the hallmark of England's new era under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
England's rock or a rock star? Root looks to strike a balance
Joe Root is thriving under new England captain Ben Stokes' aggressive approach to the game but while he is happy to rack up the runs and play like a "rock star", he says there are times when his inner voice is urging a bit more caution.
India vs England 5th Test: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow slam unbeaten hundreds as England beat India to level series 2-2
Jonny Bairstow (114*; 145 balls, 15x4, 1x6) and Joe Root (142*; 173 balls, 19x4, 1x6) and their unbroken partnership of 269 in just 52.3 overs helped England chase down the highest ever fourth-innings total on English soil on a heady Day Five in Birmingham on Tuesday. The result denied India a series win, that looked possible at the end of Day Three when they were 257 ahead with seven wickets left and had clinched seven sessions out of the nine played. That happened because England were both “braver” and “better” than India, especially on the last two days. And they had two in-form, class batsmen, who, armed with clarity in the dressing room, were prepared to play their strokes, which negated a quality seam attack. Bairstow, who scored his second hundred of the match and his sixth in his last eight, having scored only six in the previous 79, was named man of the match. Root, England’s talisman and perhaps the best batter in the world now, took home the man-of-the -series honours with 737 runs and four hundreds at a stunning average of 105.28. His nine Test tons are the most that any player has scored against India.
'Brave' new England try to shake up Test cricket
Well that might be the conclusion of some fans who watched a resurgent England make light of a chase of 378 in the Covid-delayed fifth Test against India. It was the latest example of 'Bazball' in action, with a seven-wicket win in Birmingham England's fourth successful chase in as many Tests under a new leadership duo of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes following a 3-0 whitewash of Test world champions New Zealand. That series saw England chase down seemingly stiff targets of 277, 299 and 296.
India vs England, 5th Test: Three Things We Learned From England's Historic Win
England defeated India in thrilling fashion to win the Covid-delayed fifth Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday by seven wickets. Set 378, more than any other England team have made in the fourth innings to win a Test, the hosts achieved their target with more than two sessions to spare as Joe Root (142 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (114 not out) saw them to a victory that ensured the five-match series ended level at 2-2. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from an enthralling contest:
Root joins elite company with 737 runs in India series
Joe Root has joined a select group of England players after making 737 runs in England's drawn Test series against India.