Zak Crawley hails ‘unbelievable’ Joe Root as England’s greatest-ever batsman after his magnificent century rescued them from collapse in fourth Test with India
Joe Root #JoeRoot
Joe Root was hailed as England’s greatest batsman after rescuing them from a perilous start to the fourth Test with his 31st Test hundred and a record 10th against India.
Root made an unbeaten 106 as England recovered from 112 for five after an all-action first session to reach 302 for seven at the close of the first day by eschewing the Bazball methods that led to his demise in Rajkot and relying on old-fashioned orthodoxy.
‘He’s unbelievable,’ said England opener Zak Crawley. ‘He’s the best player we’ve ever had and he played phenomenally. We knew he would come good in this series and he deserves everything he gets. He works so hard.’
There were no reverse-ramps from Root this time and only one reverse-sweep in his whole 226-ball first day stay but Crawley insisted the former captain only went back to basics because of the extravagant early movement on what looks a sub-standard Ranchi pitch.
‘If the pitch had been truer I reckon he still would have played those shots,’ said Crawley.
Joe Root answered his critics after a difficult India tour with a superb century in Ranchi
The former England captain went back to basics as he compiled a marvellous unbeaten 106
Zak Crawley, who compiled a run-a-ball 42 at the top of the innings, hailed Root’s contribution
‘It might have just been the variable bounce that stopped him sweeping and paddling. It wasn’t really the pitch for that kind of thing.
‘If it’s a flatter wicket in Dharamshala (for the final Test) I’d fully expect him to reverse ramp one. That’s just Joe. He’s very present when he bats and doesn’t overthink.
‘But he’s probably the only bloke in our team who could have made that knock today. He’s that good. He’s our best player and he’s stepped up when we needed him to.’
Crawley believed the controversial surface at a ground staging only its third Test made seam harder to face than spin.
‘I expected variable bounce from the look of the cracks but it did less and less as the opening session went on,’ added Crawley. ‘It got harder against spin and I think it can only get harder.’
Earlier England announced Rehan Ahmed was leaving the tour because of an urgent family situation and will not return to India.
The leg-spinner is the second England player to depart after the injured Jack Leach and they will not replace him for the last Test even though they now have only 14 fit players.
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