Turning point: India was on the verge of victory, then Root set his feet like Angad, those 133 balls became the turning point for England

New Delhi. Many times such stories are written on the cricket field which do not fade from the mind for years. This match played between India and England was also similar, where the victory of Team India seemed absolutely certain. But then a person stood on the pitch with his feet planted like Angad, Joe Root. Root snatched the morsel of victory from the mouth of the Indian bowlers and single-handedly gave England a memorable victory by 4 wickets. Joe Root turned the tables of this match and with one partnership each, the match started slipping from India’s hands. England had a very bad start while chasing the target of 234 runs to win. Indian bowlers had broken the back of England on the basis of tight bowling. After all out India for 233 runs, Team India’s confidence was at its peak. When Joe Root came to the crease, the team was in deep trouble. But instead of panicking, Root started weaving his innings.

The biggest turning point of this match was the anchor role of Joe Root. Not only did he stop the pace of wickets falling, he also made small but very important partnerships with the lower order batsmen, which destroyed all the strategies of the Indian captain. Root not only scored runs himself, but he also gave confidence to every batsman standing at the other end. Indian spinners and fast bowlers were trying to dominate, but Root held one end firmly.

Early conflict with Jack Bethel
When Root came to the crease, he along with Jack Bethel tried to handle the innings. Bethel could score only 3 runs in 11 balls, in which Root’s contribution was 8 runs in 4 balls. This very small partnership of 10 runs helped Root to understand the nature of the pitch. After Bethel’s departure, Harry Brook came to the crease. There was a quick partnership of 23 runs in 16 balls between the two. During this, Root did not let the run pace slow down by playing a brilliant inning of 45 runs in 29 balls.

Sam Curran and Butler together
After this, Sam Curran and Jos Buttler along with Root took the innings forward. Root had a very disciplined partnership of 14 runs in 26 balls with Curan. Along with captain Jos Buttler, he made a partnership of 13 runs in 17 balls, which made India yearn for wickets.

Decisive Strike with Will Jacques
The real turn of the match changed when a very strong partnership started developing between Will Jacques and Joe Root. Together they made a valuable partnership of 35 runs in 30 balls. While Jacques attacked from one end, Root increased the pressure on India by saving wickets from the other end.

On the basis of Joe Root’s unbeaten 99 runs, England won the second ODI and leveled the series at 1-1.

‘Class Finish’ with Gus Atkinson
When the match was at the last and most exciting turn, Joe Root joined forces with Gus Atkinson. Atkinson adopted an aggressive stance as soon as he arrived and scored 38 runs in 25 balls. During this, Root wisely rotated the strike and gave Atkinson a chance to play freely by scoring 11 runs in 9 balls. This unbeaten partnership of both ultimately helped England reach the winning target of 235 runs by losing 6 wickets in 44.1 overs.

Root’s magical innings of unbeaten 99 runs recorded in the pages of history
It is said that century is just a game of numbers, the real meaning lies in victory. Joe Root missed his century by just 1 run in this match, but his unbeaten inning of 99 runs in 133 balls was bigger than any double century. Root hit 9 very beautiful fours in this innings and his strike rate was 74.44. When India’s victory seemed certain, Root’s class, his experience and his patience stood as a wall in front of Team India. He single-handedly spoiled the length of the Indian bowlers and gradually took the match out of India’s grasp and handed it over to England. This match will always be remembered for how one of the greatest batsmen of modern cricket gave a ‘masterclass’ under pressure.