"Showed exceptional class under difficult circumstances": Anil Kumble hails England star Joe Root
Feb 23, 2024
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], February 23 : Former India spinner Anil Kumble hailed Joe Root's class performance against India on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Ranchi.
Root showcased his prime form, and returned to his top game to pull England back into the game after debutant pacer Akash Deep provided India with a dream start.
He went on to score 106* to take England past the 300-run mark and helped the visitors recover after India reduced them to 112/5.
"He kept it very simple and showed exceptional class under difficult circumstances. Whether you are in form or not, you still have to give that respect to bowlers on the first 15-20 balls and that's exactly what he did. He assessed the conditions and the bowlers at that time. Akash Deep was bowling brilliantly, so he wanted to ensure that he rode through that difficult period. That's what you expect in a Test match from really class players," Kumble said while speaking on Sports18.
While Root stole the show with the bat, debutant Akash Deep earned plaudits with his precise line and length.
He removed England's opening three batters Zak Crawley (42), Ben Duckett (11) and Ollie Pope (0) to put India in control.
"He has been very impressive. Yes, the first spell, everyone will talk about because he picked up those three wickets. But even in the second spell, after tea, he was always asking questions. It wasn't easy. That was something which was very impressive coming from a young man in his first game," Kumble added.
Akash ended the day with figures of 3/70 but Joe Root's 31st Test ton brought the game back to balance after India managed to race away in the first session of Day 1.
At the end of the day, England posted a score of 302/7 with Root and Ollie Robinson unbeaten with scores of 106(226) and 31(60) respectively.
Root's composure was on full display while making his first appearance of the tour, Robinson caught the eye of the spectators with a six and a four during the final overs of the day's play.
