Former England captain Joe Root has faced huge backlash for his form in the ongoing Test series against India as he cointues to struggle with bat. Root, one of the legends of English cricket has seen a slump of form during the India tour where he has featured more with the ball than the bat. In his defense, former England player Mark Butcher has stated that the “bowling workload” has taken its toll on the player which has seen him struggle during the series.

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Butcher defends Root

“I’ve thought that that thinking, going back in time to when people were talking about Joe Root being the lone spinner for England in more seam-friendly conditions and said that that was nonsense. I still think that having him having to do so much work as a frontline spin bowler is not likely to yield the sort of results that you’d expect from him with the bat,” Butcher was quoted as saying by Wisden.

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So far in the series, the 33-year-old has scored 77 runs in six innings while he has bowled 89 overs during the same period. He is averaging 14 with the bat and 43 with the ball, which has clearly indicated a lack of confidence in the batter. If things continue to be on the downhill, Root could face competition for places with just two more matches to go in the series.

The English batter also drew criticism during the first innings of the Rajkot Test, where he unsuccessfully attempted a reverse scoop at Jasprit Bumrah, handing an easy catch to second slip by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The shot was considered unnecessary by many and laid the foundation for England’s downfall in the match.

Root will be next seen in action during the Ranchi Test which starts on Friday (Feb 23) knowing a defeat would crush their dreams of winning a Test series on Indian soil. Currently, hosts India lead the five-match series 2-1 having won the Rajkot Test by a record 434 runs having earlier won the Vizag contest by 106 runs. England’s sole victory in the series came in the opening Test in Hyderabad when Ollie Pope led the team’s charge with a brilliant 196-run knock.

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