‘It’s not about being arrogant’- Joe Root clears air on how ‘Bazball’ functions after after conventional century in 4th Test

Joe Root finally lived up to his reputation in this series and emerged as England’s top batter in this match with his 31st test century. England was tottering at 112 for five in the first innings when Root took matters into his own hands and played traditionally to notch up his 10th century against India which was the highest by any batter against India in Tests.

Root was under heavy criticism by fans after a poor run with the bat in the first three tests. An article in one of the prominent newspapers even referred to Joe Root’s shot against Bumrah in the 3rd test as ‘one of the worst shots played’. 

Joe Root has been one of the most successful foreign batters in India throughout his career and many former players believed that Root didn’t need to play the ‘Bazball’ way as he already has been successful with his old style. It looked like Root paid heed to the comments and batting in his traditional style in the 4th test which ended up in him getting his 31st test ton.

Joe Root opens up on ‘Bazball’ approach

England's star batsman, Joe Root, has defended their new aggressive batting style, nicknamed "Bazball," against accusations of being arrogant. He explained that their approach, while bold, isn't meant to show off, but instead to find the winning strategy for the team. This comes after Root himself played a more cautious innings in the recent Test against India, scoring a century but at a slower pace than usual.

During the post-match press conference, Root said, “There have been times recently when the best way to do that is by being a bit more aggressive. It's like if I connect with that shot and execute it better, (Jasprit) Bumrah will be under pressure and our outlook on the game is very different again.”       

"It’s not about being arrogant... Bazball is a word that’s used a lot but that’s your word, that's not how we look at it," he added.

Currently, England is at an advantageous position as they managed to get a lead of 46-run lead despite Dhruv Jurel’s heroics with the bat. India is to bat last on this pitch and whatever the target England gives will not be easy to chase on this track.