Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir reckons Joe Root’s poor form has been most damaging for England batting in the ongoing World Cup. The defending champions have had a torrid run in the ODI showpiece, managing a solitary win out of the six matches they have played.

Ergo, the Three Lions are at the bottom of the points table with a Net Run Rate of -1.652. England had high expectations from their batting unit, which is known to take the attack to the opposition but they have failed to deliver for the team.

In fact, Root had scored a couple of fifties in the first two matches but he has veered off the track. The veteran has scored 175 runs in six matches at an average of 29.16 and a strike rate of 93.08 in the ongoing World Cup. Root is expected to be the glue in the middle for England but he has failed to deliver for the reigning champions.

The talisman was dismissed for a golden duck against India at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Sunday while England was chasing 230 and they went on to lose by 100 runs in the end.

“If you see England’s batting lineup, apart from Joe Root, all the other guys want to play aggressive cricket. It is the form of Joe Root that has been the most damaging thing for this batting lineup because this entire batting lineup revolves around him,” Gambhir was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

“He was that anchor and glue who could bat from one end and the rest of the guys could actually play the way they wanted to. The moment Root hasn’t delivered, everyone gets exposed. Not a lot of guys have that ability to absorb the pressure of playing against the seaming and swinging balls,” he added.

England’s batting unit has failed to click as a unit in the quadrennial event and it has led to their downfall. The Jos Buttler-led team are all but out of the tournament but they would want to bounce back strongly in the remaining matches.

England will next take on arch-rivals Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday.