Last Updated: May 06, 2023, 2:15 PM IST
Fans Call For Joe Root’s IPL Debut After Rajasthan Royals’s Batting Failure Against Gujarat Titans
With Rajasthan’s batting line-up faltering against Gujarat Titans on Friday night, the appeal to give Root his IPL debut cap seems to have gained steam
Rajasthan Royals’ decision to sign Joe Root for the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) raised many eyebrows. With 32 T20I matches under his belt, Root doesn’t appear to be comfortable with the shortest format of the game. An IPL contract for the former England skipper was not something that many would have expected at mini auction last year. However, Root’s IPL 2023 campaign is yet to take off.
There has been a clamour for Root’s inclusion in the playing XI in recent times. With Rajasthan’s batting line-up faltering against Gujarat Titans on Friday night, the appeal to give Root his IPL debut cap seems to have gained steam. Batting first, Rajasthan were bowled out for a paltry total of 118 against Gujarat in Jaipur. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan scalped three wickets to dismantle Rajasthan batting unit.
Calling for Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag’s exclusion, fans wanted to have Joe Root in the playing XI.
U must play with Joe root instead of hitmayer,,,and put aside riyan parg as well— Randy orton (@randy36772) May 6, 2023
It’s time to unleash @root66 on Sawai Man Singh stadium, Jaipur. The two games we lost here would’ve been massively different with a world class anchor batter that Joe Root is. Sometimes, we don’t need a third spinner. @rajasthanroyals— Vedant Agrawal (@VedantAgrawalI) May 6, 2023
Joe root instead of Riyan would have been a game changer 😐.— Łøne々WØŁF (@krishnananu07) May 6, 2023
Give Joe Root one chance, he deserves it after the bazball game.— Husain Channiwala (@Cricket_junkie1) May 5, 2023
Previously, Joe Root had registered himself for the IPL 2018 auction but failed to find a franchise. Root was signed by the Rajasthan-based side at the IPL 2023 auction for Rs. 1 crore. In T20Is, Root was last seen in action against Pakistan in 2019. In 32 T20I matches, Root has notched up 893 runs along with five half-centuries.
Coming back to IPL 2023, Rajasthan faced a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of Gujarat on Friday. Chasing a meagre target of 119, Hardik Pandya’s men scored the winning runs with 37 balls to spare. Gujarat wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha emerged as his side’s highest scorer with an unbeaten 41 off 34 balls.
The defeat leaves Rajasthan Royals at the fourth spot in the IPL 2023 standings. In their next assignment, Rajasthan will be up against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
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