'You're fighting between the two' - 'Rockstar' Joe Root admits not being entirely accustomed to 'Bazball' approach

Former England skipper Joe Root has been enjoying a great time with the bat after relinquishing captaincy and he further went on seventh moon after guiding the Three Lions to a historic win in Birmingham. Chasing 378 in the recently-concluded fifth and final rescheduled Test against India, Root came out to bat at number four and looked in some mood. On a Day 5 Edgbaston track, the right-handed batter scored runs for fun and in the process advanced to his 28th Test ton.

He remained unbeaten at 142 and the hosts won the contest by seven wickets, thereby drawing the series level 2-2. Root was ecstatic with the final outcome and his emotions were evident in the post-match press conference. Meanwhile, the talismanic batter also admitted not being entirely accustomed to the ‘Bazball’ approach.

The Yorkshireman inside me is still saying dig: Joe Root

Notably, England’s new Test head coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes have been endorsing a fearless brand of cricket. However, Root still seems to prefer the traditional approach to batting in Test cricket, although his strike rate has gone up lately.

“The Yorkshireman inside me is still saying dig in, play straight and get behind it. Then there’s the captain on the other shoulder saying ‘be a rockstar’. So you’re fighting between the two of them, sometimes,” stated Root.

Meanwhile, Root also made it clear that he welcomes this new approach as it allows players to enjoy Test cricket. “It’s scripted out how you need to play in Test cricket. Sometimes being unpredictable is very difficult to bowl at. Sometimes the gaps look bigger, and you know where the ball is going to be because of generally how sides bowl for long periods of time,” stated the 31-year-old further.

Meanwhile, the action will now shift towards white-ball cricket as the two teams are scheduled to lock horns in three T20Is and as many ODIs, with the opening T20I scheduled to get underway on July 7.