Former England skipper Graham Gooch believes the English team is too reliant on the shoulders of Joe Root, for the bulk of their runs. Root has been in sublime form as he has amassed 386 runs in two Test matches at an unbelievable average of 128.66 in the ongoing series against India.
Thus, Root has scored the lion share of England’s runs as Jonny Bairstow has scored a solitary fifty for the hosts, barring the England skipper. In fact, the rest of the batsmen have scored a total of 513 runs in two Test matches at a paltry average of 13.86.
Root scored 64 runs in the first innings of the opening Test and then played a free-flowing knock of 109 runs in the second dig and it played a key role for England in saving the opening Test. Subsequently, the talisman scored an unbeaten knock of 180 runs in the first essay of the Lord’s Test and helped his team take a lead of 27 runs as England were able to post 391 runs after India scored 364 runs.
England is clearly lacking the experience in their batting unit and players like Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler will need to put their hand up for the team. The hosts have dropped Dom Sibley and they have included Dawid Malan for the third Test match.
“Whatever he says, Joe will be feeling the pressure because at the moment he’s 50, 60, 70 per cent of our batting, isn’t he? Can he keep this form going for the rest of the series? Of course, he can. He’s a world-class player and he’s performing unbelievably. He can keep it going. But of course, with any performer in any sport, there is going to be a fallow period. It’s not possible to keep it going game after game after game,” Gooch stated while speaking to Daily Mail.
Gooch admitted that he too was the lone warrior of the team during his heydays. There is no doubt that England will need to come up with a collective effort if they are to make a comeback in the series.
“We’re too reliant on one person. I have had that experience and that’s not a complaint but at certain stages of my career there was a greater responsibility on having to deliver. As a player, you can be in the best form of your life but you can’t deliver all the time and that expectation is not helpful. You need everyone to contribute. When I became captain, it spurred me on for the best period of my career,” Gooch remarked.
The third Test match will take place at Leeds, Headingley from August 25.
