IND vs ENG 2nd Test: England cricketer Joe Root sustained an injury in the first session of the Day 3's play in the ongoing Test at the Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Notably, Root was attempting a catch in the slip cordon when he injured his little finger. Consequently, he has been taken off the field. There is no update on when Root will return.
This could be a massive blow for the visiting English side. Not only Root happens to be their most prolific run-scorer but in these conditions has proven to be quite a handy with the ball in the past. It is being reported that Root is currently icing his little finger on his right hand.
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While Root is primarily known for his batting ability, he has managed to be a useful bowler in Indian conditions. Root not only scalped a fifer during England's previous tour of India, but even managed to take 5 wickets in the Hyderabad Test- four in the first innings and one in the second as India went on to lose the Hyderabad fixture by 28 runs. In addition, the 33-year-old is critical to that batting order bringing in heaps of experience and runs under his belt.
With no clarity on when and if he will be to return to the field, this could be trouble for England who would end up missing a batter and will be a bowling option short if Root fails to return anytime soon. Captain Ben Stokes has already ruled out the possibility of him bowling in this Test which suggests that the skipper will only have to rely on the specialist bowlers to get the job done with the ball.