Former England pacer Stuart Broad has ignited fresh debate by choosing Joe Root over India skipper Shubman Gill in his combined India-England Test XI.
TheEngland legend made the remark following the thrilling conclusion of the five-match Test series between England and India, where both batters were standout performers for their respective teams.
Gill enjoyed a dream run in his first Test series as captain, amassing 754 runs, including four centuries. His tally is now the second-highest ever by a Test captain in a single series, just behind Don Bradman’s 810 runs in 1936–37. Gill also became the joint record-holder for the most hundreds in a series as captain, second only to Bradman. His batting average has risen from the mid-30s to above 40.
Still, when asked to choose between Gill and Root on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Broad said: “You want me to choose between Root and Gill? I can see the headlines now. Shubman Gill has just scored the most runs as a Test captain behind Don Bradman in a series, and Joe Root has gone second on the all-time list, scoring three centuries back to back and his 39th Test ton.”
Pressed for a final answer, Broad quipped: “Well, only because I’ve got Joe Root’s mobile number and don’t want the abuse, so I’m gonna go Joe Root.”
To this, Jos Buttler responded: “Unbelievable. I can’t believe that.”
Broad’s Combined India-England Test XI (Based on the recent Test series): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
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