• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Kevin Pietersen Attributes Joe Roots Stylish Shots To Ipl Experience With Rajasthan Royals

Kevin Pietersen Attributes Joe Root's Stylish Shots to IPL Experience with Rajasthan Royals

image-lj3refylJoe Root playing reverse scoop | Source: Twitter 

Joe Root has always been a delight to watch as a batter, particularly due to his elegant style of playing and his shots in red-ball cricket. The former England captain has recently embraced the reverse sweep as a new addition to his arsenal, leaving fans and experts alike enthralled by his exquisite display of shots. 

Throughout the ongoing first Test at Edgbaston, Root has delighted the crowd with an abundance of reverse scoop shots, fearlessly executed against renowned bowlers like Ollie Robinson, Pat Cummins, and Scott Boland. Joining the chorus of fans, former England captain Kevin Pietersen also finds himself captivated by Root's captivating style of play. 

Talking about the star batter and his gameplay, here’s what Kevin Pietersen told SkySports: 

"The sky is the limit for Root with the brain he has and also his work ethic, which is like none other. With 11,000 Test runs, he could be, 'I've got enough, I could swan around, get a hundred, watch everyone the next morning warm up and play football with the lads'. No, no. Every single morning Root is out there wanting to improve. We are lucky enough to watch a master and long may that continue.” 

Joe Root, exhibited his sheer class in the first inning, crafting an unbeaten innings of 118 runs from 152 balls. He carried his sublime form into the second inning, notching up a valuable 45 runs off 55 deliveries. 

Weighing in on the same, Kevin Pietersen stated that Joe Root's ability to fearlessly execute unorthodox shots, might be influenced by his stint with the Rajasthan Royals during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.

Rajasthan Royals secured the services of Joe Root in the IPL mini-auction 2023 and hence the former England captain had the opportunity to spend two months with the Rajasthan Royals during the IPL 2023 season before departing for England to join the Ashes squad. 

Although he could manage only 10 runs in three matches, Root made the most of his time with his teammates like Jos Buttler and other batting stars under the guidance of coach Kumar Sangakkara. Pietersen added: 

"It would have been in those two months in the IPL [with Rajasthan Royals] where those shots would have been ingrained in his game.”  

Australia will resume the day 5 with the scorecard reading 107/3. While the visitors need 174 runs to win the opening Test, the Ben Stokes-led side will have to eke out seven wickets to clinch the game.