Misbah-ul-Haq: “Root had a similar patch as well, when he didn’t score much but when he started, he scored so many runs in Test cricket that he was about to break records”
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Pakistan great Misbah-ul-Haq said India batsman Virat Kohli shouldn’t be overly concerned about his rough patch as England Test captain Joe Root went through a similar experience before regaining his form.
Root bounced back in incredible fashion as he scored 1,708 Test runs in 15 matches last year, which included six centuries and four fifties, at an average of 61.
To put this into perspective, it was the third-highest amount of runs to be scored in a calendar year after legendary Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf and iconic West Indies big-hitter Sir Viv Richards.
“Root had a similar patch as well, when he didn’t score much but when he started, he scored so many runs in Test cricket that he was about to break records,” Misbah told Cricwick.
Root was in good form in the recently concluded three-Test series against the West Indies as he scored 289 runs, which included two centuries, at an average of 48.16.
Despite his efforts, England lost the series 1-0.
Kohli, meanwhile, is playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has amassed 53 runs in two matches at an average of 53 and a strike-rate of 147.22.