Joe Root struggling with 'Bazball', feels Alastair Cook

NEW DELHI: Former England captain Alastair Cook believes that senior batter Joe Root is losing his "balance" and natural game in the current Test series against India because to his desperation to fit into captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum's "Bazball" plans.

Cook, the last international captain to guide a team to win in a Test series in India back in 2012, believes that Root never appeared in control during his brief second innings of 16 off 10 balls in the second Test against India, when he tried to attack every delivery.

England's defeat was by 106 runs, as 'Bazball' was unable to lead the visitors to a formidable 399 target.

"He is England's best batsman there's ever been in all formats - but he does struggle sometimes with the tempo of this Bazball era," Cook, who is England's highest Test run-getter, said on 'TNT Sports' channel.

1/10:2nd Test: India beat England to level series

Reuters

2/10:Jasprit Bumrah

<p>Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah took a match haul of nine wickets to lead India's 106-run win over England in the second Test on Monday and level the five-match series. </p>Reuters

3/10:Zak Crawley

<p>Chasing a record 399 for victory, England were bowled for 292 in the second session on day four in Visakhapatnam, despite an attacking start and Zak Crawley's 73. </p>Getty Images

4/10:3 wickets each

<p>Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took three each in the final innings and the pace spearhead bowled Tom Hartley to complete the win. </p>IANS

5/10:​Shubman Gill

<p>Shubman Gill set up the comeback victory for India with his 104 on day three to set England, who won the opener, a daunting target. </p>IANS

6/10:Bazball

<p>England came out swinging with their "Bazball" brand of cricket, Crawley and company hitting boundaries despite losing wickets. </p>AFP

7/10:Axar Patel

<p>Left-arm spinner Axar Patel broke through when he trapped Rehan Ahmed lbw for 23, after the nightwatchman hit five fours in his 31-ball knock. </p>ANI

8/10:Ravichandran Ashwin

<p>Ollie Pope hammered five boundaries in his brief stay at the wicket, before Ashwin had him caught at slip by captain Rohit Sharma on 23. </p>ANI

9/10:​Joe Root

<p>Joe Root fell for 16 while attempting a slog off Ashwin, who remains one away from entering the 500-wicket club. </p>PTI

10/10:Kuldeep Yadav

<p>The chase soon lost steam with two wickets in five balls before lunch, including Crawley out lbw off left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. </p>PTI

2nd Test: India beat England to level series

"He sees all these other people playing these aggressive shots, which suit their style. Rooty has got 11,500 Test runs, he's brilliant, but he's so desperate to fit in to what Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum) are doing that sometimes I don't think he gets his balance of attack and defence right," the owner of 12,472 Test runs said.

Instead of trying to outpace other players who are scoring runs more quickly, Cook wants Root to play at his own pace.

"He was on 16 off nine balls and he doesn't normally strike at that rate - he's normally striking at 75 to 80, which is still incredibly high for a Test match strike-rate, with zero risk.

"That's when I love watching Joe Root bat."

1/10:India vs England: Bumrah, Bazball and spin

ANI

2/10:India level series with thumping win

<p>India beat England by 106 runs in the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Monday to level the five-match series 1-1.</p>AFP

3/10:'Bazball' is winning fans in India

Ben Stokes's team took a thrilling opening Test by 28 runs after overcoming a 190-run first innings deficit then went down guns blazing in a record 399-run chase in the second.PTI

4/10:Bumrah's perfect yorker

<p>Stumps flew all over the place as Bumrah bowled Ollie Pope with a trademark yorker in the second Test.</p>PTI

5/10:Jasprit Bumrah masterclass

<p>Jasprit Bumrah's mastery of new ball and reverse swing saw him take a first innings 6/45 as England were all out 253, a deficit of 143. </p>Reuters

6/10:​Bumrah - an absolute champion of a bowler

<p>Stokes paid tribute after Bumrah bagged three more in England's chase to be named man of the match. "Jasprit Bumrah's an absolute champion of a bowler," said Stokes.</p>AFP

7/10:Ollie Pope special

Ollie Pope's masterful 196 in Hyderabad featured sweep shots of both orthodox and reverse varieties to blunt the Indian spinners and the crowd rose to applaud as England inflicted only the fourth home defeat on India in 47 Tests.PTI

8/10:Nervy moments for India

India had some nervy moments in winning the second Test as England came out roaring in their fourth-inning chase, with Zak Crawley hitting 73 and almost all the batsmen taking on the bowlers.AFP

9/10:England spinners challenged India batters

<p>England's rookie spinners Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed may have only six Test caps between them but they have all challenged India's batters, who are usually masters on turning pitches.</p>PTI

10/10:Tom Hartley on a roll

<p>Raw left-armer Hartley had match-winning figures of 7-62 on debut in Hyderabad and he took four more in India's second innings in Visakhapatnam. His 14 wickets are just one behind Jasprit Bumrah in the series bowling charts.</p>PTI

India vs England: Bumrah, Bazball and spin

Cook believes that Root is always in position to score a hundred runs if he reaches his first fifteen, even though it didn't appear feasible on Monday in Visakhapatnam.

"When he gets in, you call it early - I've called it early a few times on sub-continent days: he's on 15 but he's getting a hundred here.

"He's going to milk them at his will, sweeps, all in control. I don't think he was in that control," he observed.

(With PTI inputs)