3 major reasons behind Joe Root's struggles in recent Test matches

Joe Root was dismissed for another single-digit score in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test.

Joe Root has spent more than a decade establishing himself as one of the greatest batters in red-ball cricket history. England’s all-time leading run-scorer, Root, has earned his reputation for his consistency even at this stage of his career. 

Joe Root was placed among the Fab-4 cricketers of the generation. While Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have left the format, Root has continued to dominate red-ball cricket, leaving Steve Smith far behind him.

Apart from surpassing his peers and becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, Root has emerged as a contender to challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing Test record of 15,921 runs.

However, Root’s recent form has been the exact opposite of the consistency that has defined his career. After having reached a massive milestone with a half-century at Leeds, the English skipper managed just 4 and 24 runs at Lord’s. He was then dismissed for only 6 in the third Test at Edgbaston.

Root’s struggles have come at a difficult period for England‘s batting. The team has experienced a bowling-dominated summer, with the batting department undergoing a major transition. England are also aiming to move past the Stokes-McCullum era in red-ball cricket. 

Reasons behind Joe Root’s inconsistent performances in Test cricket:

Growing vulnerability to LBW dismissals

One of the clearest concerns has been Root’s vulnerability to deliveries targeting his pads. Former England players have also discussed his growing vulnerability around the pads and increased exposure to LBW dismissals. 

This is a technical flaw in this great English batsman’s game that opposing players are quickly exploiting. In recent matches, bowlers targeted the stumps and the pads region to trap him right in front of the three stumps. 

Bowlers planning a different approach for Root

Root’s identity as one of the finest Test batters has become a major cause for concern for him. Any opposition side spends considerable time developing plans specifically for him. Instead of allowing him to settle outside the off-stump, bowlers have started targeting the stumps.

This strategy has worked effectively to restrict Root to the batting end rather than simply allowing him to rotate the strike. The way Mohammad Abbas and then Razaullah dismissed him in the current Test matches reveals how aggressively the bowlers are trying to challenge him.

Joe Root is sticking to the Bazball mindset

England have played under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes over the past few years, and despite the ultra-aggressive approach in the longest format of the game, Joe Root’s most successful stint came during this period. 

Now, as England are aiming to give up this mindset, Root seems to have lost his temperament. Once known for his ability to build a long innings, Root now seems in a hurry to score runs whenever he steps up at the crease. 

On challenging tracks, Root has hence struggled to perform well with the bat. If he resorts to his former orthodox ways of spending more time at the crease, then Joe Root is most likely to revive his prime in Test cricket. 

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