‘Bhai din toh chadhne de’ – Fans react as Joe Root tries to reverse scoop Scott Boland on first ball of Day 4 in Ashes 2023

On Day 4 of the first Test at Edgbaston, one of the most orthodox batters in the current England lineup displayed his stroke-making skills by executing one of the most unconventional shots in Test cricket, the reverse scoop, as early as the second over. In the opening hour of the match, Root targeted the Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Scott Boland with no doubts about his intentions.

England was under a bit of pressure since, on Day 3, the play was suspended due to rain after they lost their openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in cloudy conditions. With only a 35-run advantage as play started for the day, England was 28 for 2. However, Root immediately put the responsibility on the Australian bowlers by attempting to reverse scoop Cummins on the first delivery he played.

Australia fall short by 7 runs

But in the very next over, Joe Root was successful using the reverse scoop. Although Pat Cummins pulled the wicketkeeper up to the stumps, Root continued to attempt risky strokes. The very next ball, which went for a boundary, saw him succeed with the identical stroke by hitting Boland to a six straight over the slip cordon.

England quickly passed 70 thanks to Root’s magnificent cut shots to short-pitched deliveries as he remained aggressive and stitched a 50-run partnership with Ollie Pope. When Ollie Pope was attempting to get into a rhythm with a few boundaries, Australia fought back when skipper Pat Cummins dismissed him for 14 with an inswinging Yorker.

For the fourth wicket, Joe Root was joined by Harry Brook, who struggled to get going in the first innings. Australia was dismissed for 386 runs earlier on Sunday as England built a narrow 7-run lead. As Australia lost their final four wickets for just 14 runs, Ollie Robinson bowled a heated stint that featured a harsh farewell to Usman Khawaja.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/MrOm14852020/status/1670745374649368576?s=20

Why is he trying so hard to be in an IPL team?

— Yaz (@Yaz786__) June 19, 2023

pic.twitter.com/aksDMneukC

— Pratham (@Prathampatill) June 19, 2023

Is this @surya_14kumar playing or @root66??🤔😄

— preitz🦋🌻 (@ipreitz) June 19, 2023

Joeball

— ArshSingh (@ARSHJatt65) June 19, 2023

https://twitter.com/JaneMeriJaneMan/status/1670738638500663296?s=20

Insane

— Hitman45 (@HiTman4543556) June 19, 2023

England fire

— Anjali Sharma (@SoniyaS30596864) June 19, 2023