Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has blamed England’s ‘Bazball’ approach for Joe Root’s struggle in the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series. England’s veteran batter, who holds a stunning record on Indian soil in Tests, failed to score a single fifty in the six innings he has played so far.
Root’s reverse sweep against Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings of the Rajkot Test led to severe criticism from English media and pundits. De Villiers said that Root’s batting has changed in the Bazball era.
“When I played against him (Root), I felt he was one of the best Test batters I have ever played against. But that has changed, and it’s because of Bazball. I know it’s a big statement but the ones that you find hardest to play against in Test match cricket are the ones who are hardest to get out. And now he is getting out on reverse sweeps and kind of blowing out of his norm. I don’t like that,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers further urged England to let Root play with his traditional approach and let him be the glue of the batting lineup.
“Players like these (Root) should be told, ‘Listen, you just go out and play your natural game. You’re the glue of this batting line-up.’ Let Ben Duckett or Ben Stokes play aggressively. Let Root bat long,” he added.
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