'You cannot play in one gear' - Michael Vaughan encourages English batters to mirror Joe Root's approach in Dharamshala

Team India have a commanding 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-match Test series against England as they head into the fifth and final game at Dharamshala on March 7th. Going forward, England will be looking to salvage some pride in the final match of the tour after suffering three consecutive defeats following their initial victory in Hyderabad.

Now, in a recent turn of events, former England cricketer Michael Vaughan has advised the English batting lineup to take inspiration from Joe Root's century in Ranchi. Vaughan emphasised the need for England to play smarter rather than just going for aggressive shots.

“I hope what England don’t do is – that they say, ‘we should have gone harder’. I would disagree with that, I would say that England need to play smarter at times,” he said as quoted by News18.

Root's composed innings in Ranchi, where he focused on proper technique to reach his century, set an example for the rest of the team. Vaughan highlighted the importance of adapting to the demands of Test cricket and learning from Root's approach.

“You look at Joe Root’s innings, he was knocking it around, playing technically correct, obviously he has got boundary options,” the former English captain said.

This was a different Joe Root in Ranchi.: Vaughan

Vaughan suggested that skipper Ben Stokes and veteran batter Jonny Bairstow should observe Root's innings and seek advice from him to improve their performance in the final game.

“I hope that the rest of the England batters sit with him or advice and ask him ‘What is it that you did in Ranchi that you did not do in the last 3 Test matches’ because it was a different Joe Root. This was a different Joe Root in Ranchi. He did not play the fancy shots like he did in the previous few weeks. I hope that Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes take a leaf out of Joe Root’s book,” he emphasized.

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Vaughan stressed the need for batters to adjust their gameplay according to the situation in Test cricket, emphasizing the importance of playing smartly and not sticking to one style throughout the game. Vaughan concluded by highlighting the strategic nuances of Test cricket and its unique challenges.

“You cannot play in one gear in Test cricket. You have to play the situation and that’s why Test cricket is the best format,” concluded the former batter.