Khawaja said India would have been 3-0 up in Test series if Root wasn't batting exceptionally.
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja heaped praise on England skipper Joe Root, saying he is the only one standing between India and a Test series victory and the tourists must find a way to dismiss the in-form batsman to have any chances in the ongoing five-match Test series.
Root has been in stunning form with the bat and scoring the majority of runs for England in the ongoing Test series against India. The right-hander has aggregated a total of 507 runs from three Test matches, including three centuries and help England to level the five-match Test series 1-1 against Team India.
After India’s massive defeat In Leeds, Khawaja said India would have been 3-0 up in the ongoing Test series if Root hadn’t been in such phenomenal form, saying the England skipper is the difference at the moment and the tourists must find a way to get him out early to win the Test series.
Khawaja on his YouTube channel: “Joe Root again, on fire. He has batted like the class batsman he is. He has been one of the best in the world for a long time. India need to find a way to get him out early. He is the difference right now. If it wasn’t for Root, India would be 3-0 up. Root is the one who has been stopping it.”
On the struggling Indian skipper Virat Kohli, the Australian batsman said the right-hander is under immense pressure with Root is doing great, but said a century might be just around the corner for him.
He added, “I feel like it’s around the corner. He has been looking good. 40 this innings, he's got a couple of starts. And whether he can come out and score runs and make a big one for India, Root has been doing it at the other end. Will Virat be doing it? Everyone is watching it. The eyes are on him. The pressure is on him. I would love to see him respond in the right way.”
Khawaja has also pointed out that England has strengthened their batting line-up and their middle-order also looks much stronger with the inclusion of the experienced stars – which gives the hosts the best chance of winning the ongoing Test series against India.
He explained, “The changes that England have done to their batting line-up, I actually think that they have straightened their batting line-up. I do think that having a middle-order with (Dawid) Malan, (Joe) Root, (Jonny) Bairstow, (Jos) Buttler, experienced guys who have played a lot of international cricket, gives England the best chance of winning the series.”
However, the Aussie is still confident that India can win the Test series in England despite their confidence has just come down a little bit and their senior batsmen are out of form.
Khawaja signed off by saying, “I was really confident about India winning before. Still think India will win, but the confidence has just come down a little bit because experience always trumps out everything else. I think India is going to win.”