'The best player we've ever had...': Zak Crawley hails Joe Root after ton against India

NEW DELHI: England opener Zak Crawley lauded Joe Root's exceptional century, stating that the veteran batter's unbeaten 106 on Day 1 of the fourth Test against India was a "phenomenal" knock given the challenging circumstances. Root's masterful innings guided England to a respectable total of 302 for 7 after losing half of their side at lunch for 112.

"He (Root) is unbelievable. We fully expected him to get a good score at some point in this series; he was due, he's the best player we've ever had, and he played phenomenally today," said Crawley after the day's play.






Acknowledging Root's work ethic and determination, Crawley emphasized, "He deserves everything he gets; he works so hard at his game and he always comes good." Root had been facing a lean patch in the series, with his highest score before this innings being 37.

"He's probably the only bloke in our team who could have done that knock; he's that good, he's our best player, and he's stepped up when we needed him to. We needed him to get a score, and he got a score like he's done for so many years now; he's a phenomenal player," added Crawley, who contributed a run-a-ball 42 at the top of the order.

Root found a valuable ally in wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes, who played a crucial role in their century-plus partnership. Crawley acknowledged the challenging conditions and the need for caution on the unpredictable pitch.


"It was tricky with the fields they were setting, but we just always talk about the present, and the situation required a bit more caution with that kind of pitch and the variable bounce, and that's what they delivered. At other times, we counter-punched, but they played it perfectly and read it well," explained Crawley.

Reflecting on the pitch conditions, Crawley noted, "It was nipping a lot and nipping quickly. It felt like you had to throw a counter-punch; you couldn't really sit there like those boys did later on in the day. I expected variable bounce from the look of those cracks. It certainly did less and less as that opening spell went on."

(Inputs from PTI)


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