‘Who am I to question guy who has 30 Test match hundreds?” – Ben Stokes defends Joe Root, who isn’t performing at his best.

In the current five-match series against India, England’s best hitter in Test cricket, Joe Root, has been having difficulty scoring runs. With two games remaining, Rohit Sharma and company lead the series 2-1.

They would have expected Root to be one of England’s best hitters when they got to India. During their most recent Test series visit to India in 2021, the former England captain ended up being the top run scorer. But the seasoned batter appeared to be a shadow of his former self this time. Root has amassed a pitiful average of 12.83 in six innings across the first three Test matches, with a maximum score of 29.

Root has drawn a lot of flak for making some hasty decisions that have resulted in his termination. Ben Stokes, the captain, has, nevertheless, firmly established himself in the corner of the seasoned batter, reminding everyone of his outstanding stats in the game’s longest format.

It was undoubtedly a turning point since he came forth with it. We can probably leave the decision-making and “why” to Joe Root, who has around 12,000 runs under his belt.

Ben Stokes was cited by India Today as stating, “Given how good a player Joe Root is, I can understand why there would be frustration around that.”

While attempting to play a reverse scoop off Jasprit Bumrah in the opening innings of the third Test in Rajkot, Root was out. Yashasvi Jaiswal grabbed the edge at second slip with ease after the 33-year-old failed to get the ball off the middle of his bat. Stokes defended his star batsman, Root, after some experts criticized his choice of shots.

“Jasprit Bumrah has eliminated him twice thus far on this tour. I also thought Joe was looking really, really good at the crease, and he sensed it as an opportunity to give Jasprit something different again and perhaps get him to reflect on something,” he said.

“Because that shot alters bowlers’ perceptions of Joe and the way fields are perceived,” He was on it, and it’s not a shot you usually see guys in Test matches making. Who am I, though, to criticize a man with thirty hundred runs in Test matches and almost 12,000 runs in Test matches? Stokes continued, “I believe he is skilled at what he does.

The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi will host the fourth Test, which is scheduled to start on Friday, February 23.