'Who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds?' - Ben Stokes comes out in defense of misfiring Joe Root

Joe Root, England's premier batter in Test cricket, has been struggling for runs in the ongoing five-match series against India. Rohit Sharma and Co. have a 2-1 lead in the series, with two more games to play.

When England arrived in India, they would have pinned their hopes on Root to be one of their standout batters. The former England captain had finished as the leading run-getter the last time they visited India for a Test series in 2021. However, this time the veteran batter looked a pale shadow of his former self. In six innings across the first three Tests, Root has managed just 77 runs at a paltry average of 12.83, including a highest score of 29.

Root has received a lot of criticism for some of the rash shots he has played which have led to his dismissals. However, captain Ben Stokes has stood firmly in the experienced batter's corner, reminding everyone about his excellent numbers in the longest format of the game.

“Yeah, because he got out to it, definitely was a turning point. Joe Root’s scored nearly 12,000 runs, I think we can leave the decision-making and ‘why’ with Joe. I can understand why there would be frustration around that because of how good a player Joe is,” Stokes was quoted as saying by India Today.

In the first innings of the third Test in Rajkot, Root got out while trying to play a reverse scoop off Jasprit Bumrah. The 33-year-old couldn't get the ball off the middle of his bat, and the edge was easily taken by Yashasvi Jaiswal at second slip. Some experts slammed Root's shot selection, but Stokes came out in the defense of his star batter.

"Jasprit Bumrah has got him out a couple of times this tour early on. And I thought Joe was looking really, really good at the crease, and he sensed that as a time to put something different back onto Jasprit and make him maybe think about something,” he stated.

“Because what that shot does for Joe is it makes fields change, makes bowlers' mindset change towards him. He got out to it, and it’s not a shot you necessarily see Test match players playing. But look, who am I to question a guy who has 30 Test match hundreds, nearly 12,000 Test match runs? I think he knows what he’s doing,” Stokes added.

The fourth Test is set to be played at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi and it begins on Friday, February 23.

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