India and England are set to face off once again in less than two days in the five-match Test series in England. With India trailing 2-1 and on the back of a painful defeat at Lord’s, momentum is firmly with Ben Stokes’ side. In a rather bold press conference for the hosts, Harry Brook spoke to the media ahead of the 4th Test at Old Trafford Cricket Ground. As the batter went over the moments of the heated 3rd Test and England’s chances in the one that was set to follow, he made a strong claim about one of his teammates. Veteran batter and England icon Joe Root took top spot as the highest-ranked Test batter in the recent ICC rankings. Speaking on the same, Brook lauded his teammate and even went on to call him the “best batter of all time.” Quizzed on whether there was any rivalry going on between himself and Root in the team, Brook was quick to dismiss it. “Oh, everybody wants to be number one, don’t they? Him, probably more than anybody else. But no, he’s a phenomenal player. I’m not in the same league as him, so I’ll happily let him have it,” said Brook with a chuckle, as he spoke to the reporters ahead of the 4th Test.
Adding to his argument on what makes Root so good, Brook said, “He’s played for 12, 13 years—or however long he’s played. In my opinion, he’s the best Test batter of all time, so I’ll let him have that one.” Root also broke several records in the series, with one not being related to the bat as well. With his 211th catch in Test cricket, he now leads the list for catches taken in the format, bettering India legend Rahul Dravid’s record of 210. He took a splendid one-handed catch of Karun Nair in the 3rd Test. Root has been in impeccable form for the hosts, racking up crucial runs in the last three Tests. In the previous match at Lord’s, the 34-year-old scored a gritty 104 off 199, and managed 40 in the second innings.
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Brook, however, failed to impress with the bat in both innings at Lord’s, where he only managed 11 and 23 respectively. However, the hosts managed to get over the line and reestablish their series lead with a 22-run victory. The 4th Test will commence on July 23, with India looking to secure a win to stay alive in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
