"We tried a few things against Joe Root but they were was unsuccessful," admits Dimuth Karunaratne

Joe Root’s innings are the turning point in the ongoing test series, feels Dimuth Karunaratne.

Veteran Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne accepted that his bowlers’ plans have failed against the might of Joe Root in the ongoing test series. The Sri Lankan hailed Root for his consistent performances against his side.

In the ongoing test series, the 33-year-old Root is showcasing his class against a timid Sri Lankan side. In two matches, the right-handed batter has made 350 runs at an outstanding average of 116.66. Root has also notched up two centuries and one half-century till now.

Root is the leading scorer of the three-match test series with one game to go, while some of his other teammates have not stepped up yet.

The turning points in the matches have been Joe Root’s innings: Dimuth Karunaratne

The 36-year-old Dimuth Karunaratne accepted that his side suffered defeats because of Joe Root’s crucial knocks in both matches.

“We’ve tried a few things against Joe but they were always unsuccessful. I think the turning points in the matches have been those Joe Root innings. Even when we’ve played at Galle, he’s hit big runs, but the batters around him haven’t scored as heavily. We really need to minimise the runs he’s scoring,” Karunaratne said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Karunaratne further added that the Sri Lankan management needs to bring out new plans in order to dismiss Root. He suggested that attacking him less and playing with his patience could be a tactic to get rid of Root.

“We need to look at his past performances more closely, see where he’s got out, and what kinds of things we can do on these pitches. We need to make a new plan based on that. Maybe sometimes we attack him too much and he takes advantage of that. Some players don’t like it when we ask them to be less aggressive. Sometimes boring batters out can also be a tactic,” the opener added.

In the ongoing three-match test series, England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead with one game to go. The final match of the series will be played at the Kennington Oval in London from September 6 to September 10.

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