Joe Root bails England out of trouble. Sound familiar?
Root, his country’s all-time leading run-scorer across both Test and ODI cricket, is no stranger to coming to the crease with his side in strife and did so again against India in Cardiff on Thursday before going on to hit a victory-securing 99 not out from 133 balls.
Root strode out with England 0-1 one delivery into a chase of 234 on a tricky surface after Ben Duckett had been nicked off by Indian magician Jasprit Bumrah for a golden duck.
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Sky Sports pundits Mark Butcher and Ravi Shastri hail Root’s ‘highly professional’ knock at Sophia Gardens and his longevity, before the man himself has his say
Soon enough, that was 8-2 when Jacob Bethell snicked Prasidh Krishna behind.
As England subsequently slipped to 53-3 – captain Harry Brook out on the scoop to end a skittish innings which included scooping a ball into his helmet – and 125-5, Root remained unflappable.
Root keeps calm – but also shows his anger
There was flicker of emotion from the batter when Will Jacks tamely holed out to cover in the 40th over to be sixth out with 37 runs required – Root’s irritation was clear – and then a beaming smile when Gus Atkinson pulled away the winning boundary.
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Root was visibly annoyed when Will Jacks was dismissed with 37 runs required for victory in Cardiff
Atkinson’s four,, one ball into the 45th over, left Root stranded one run shy of a 21st ODI century but the England great did not care about that, saying being there at the end of a series-levelling victory on a tough track was “probably the best feeling in cricket”.
It was a masterclass from Root in how to pace a chase when run-rate was no great concern – he was on four from 21 balls amid the India bowling barrage before getting into his groove and only hit nine fours in total – and one Brook feels is a template for team-mates.
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Gus Atkinson’s match-clinching boundary left Root one run shy of a 21st ODI hundred
The England skipper said of Root afterwards: “He is phenomenal player. You can learn so much off him, in the changing room as well. He is a great bloke to have around.
“He always seems to turn up when we need him the most. He has been one of the best in the world for many years now at rotating strike.
“I remember an innings he played a couple of years ago when he only hit three fours and got a hundred.”
Do other England batters value their wicket like Root?
Root has now racked up 286 runs across his last three ODI innings without being dismissed following knocks off 111 not out in Sri Lanka in January and then an unbeaten 76 in the six-wicket defeat to India in Tuesday’s series opener at Edgbaston.
You could see how annoyed Root was when Jacks got out. He was spewing! I don’t think I have seen him like that before! He also had a pop at Atkinson when he flapped at one. It was a fine display from Root of how you complete a run chase when run-rate is not an issue. Highly professional.
The 35-year-old has passed fifty in each of his last five ODIs.
Sky Sports’ Mark Butcher said: “Over the course of a long stretch of time, Root has been in batting line-ups that have lived up to expectations or fallen short.
“At the moment, in both Test and ODI cricket, he is holding the fort almost by himself. You wonder at times whether some of the players around him are learning that lesson about valuing your wicket.
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Watch bits of Harry Brook’s skittish knock in the second ODI, in which he was caught on the scoop having earlier flicked on to his helmet playing a similar shot
“Sometimes it is as simple as that. ‘How valuable is my wicket and am I willing to guts it out through the hard times, or am I going to donate my wicket to the opposition and leave it up to somebody else?’
“Root does not leave it up to other people.”
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