Joe Root eyes Indian T20 League stint but not at the cost of Test cricket

England Test captain Joe Root is pondering over entering the mega auction for the Indian T20 League (ITL) 2022. Root confirmed that he has given a thought about putting his name in the auction, but added that he will only proceed if and when he is sure that participating in the cash-rich league won't hamper his Test game. "I have not made a decision on the IPL just yet," Root said as quoted by The Cricketer. "It is something I will have to keep wrestling with. Time is ticking but I have a lot to weigh up.

"The thing I will weigh up is: will it have a negative impact on me playing Test cricket for this team? If I don't think it will, then I will put myself in that position to play and put myself in the auction.

"But I will never compromise or do anything that will detract from playing Test cricket for England. It is so important to make sure that is the priority for me and other players as well."

The development comes amidst reports that stated the England Cricket Board (ECB) might completely barre England players from participating in the Indian T20 League given their miserable show in the Ashes. Meanwhile, recently, Australia pacer Mitchell Starc also hinted at putting his name in the auction. Starc last played the ITL in 2015.

“I’ve got two days to get my paperwork in, so that might be something to do today before training. I’ve not put my name down just yet, but I’ve got a couple more days to decide on that. It’s certainly on the table regardless of what the schedule has got coming up,” said Mitchell Starc as quoted by cricket.com.au

“I haven’t been for six years or so. Obviously, with a heavy weighting towards T20s over the last period of time and the World Cup coming up later this year, that’s one to take into consideration as well. There’s a bit going on with scheduling and what-not to get our heads around, certainly for us multi-format players,” he added.