Joe Root has not taken the field following an injury to his right finger during the first session of day three of the Vizag Test.
The incident took place in the 18th over of India’s second innings when Shubman Gill raced to Tom Hartley’s ball and slipped. Gill put pressure on his front foot and fired a long ball, but it only landed with a thick edge and flew to the left of Joe Root, who was inside the cordon.
Root managed to get his fingers on the ball but was unable to complete the catch. Worst of all, the ball ran away to four points, giving a hesitant Gil another lifeline. Gill, who was a batsman on 21 at the time, finished the session with an unbeaten 60 and became a key player for India to turn around its fortunes in the series.
Meanwhile, Root blocked the punch to the pinky and kept him away for the rest of the session. The England international confirmed it was unclear when the player would return to the pitch. “Joe Root suffered an external blow while attempting to slip his right little finger in the first session of D3. England’s medical team has ordered him off the field for the time being for treatment and cooling. At this time, there is no indication as to when he will return to the field.”
Although Root could not sway the series with his bat, he played an important role for England as his off-breaks caused problems for India. In Hyderabad he had 4 wins and 79 losses and 1 win and 41 losses.
He is the most experienced of the four English spinners in Visakhapatnam and opened the bowling in the first innings of the ongoing Test match. Since 1921, Jack Leach is the only English spinner to open the bowling in the first innings of a men’s Test match.
However, Root bowled only two overs in two innings.
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