IND vs ENG: Ravi Shastri Requested to Rescue India as Joe Root Runs Riot in Manchester
Atherton urges Ravi Shastri to fire up flat Indian team as Joe Root batters them with record-breaking 150 in Manchester.
India’s collapse with the ball in Manchester got so bad that Mike Atherton joked on-air about sending Ravi Shastri back into the Indian dressing room to wake them up.
It came right after Joe Root brought up his 38th Test hundred, guiding England past the 460-run mark and tightening the grip on the fourth Test. England’s lead swelled beyond 100, and the mood in the Indian camp looked completely flat.
“Go out there, Ravi. Your team needs a bit of motivation,” Atherton quipped as Shastri entered the commentary box. The former India head coach, known for his high-energy dressing room speeches, could only smile.
Shastri didn’t deny the state of crisis. He admitted India were tactically off the mark.
“You’ve got Kamboj and Shardul as your third and fourth seamers. That puts everything on Bumrah and Siraj,” Shastri said.
He added that someone like Prasidh Krishna could’ve helped change the pace, especially with short-ball tactics from around the wicket, something India sorely missed as Root kept cashing in.
Root’s Masterclass Leaves India in Tatters
England resumed Day 3 on 225/2 and barely gave India a sniff. Root, calm as ever, punished anything loose and pushed India further into the hole.
His 150 was the cherry on top, and it pushed him past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter in Test history. Only Sachin Tendulkar remains ahead now.
Ollie Pope made a handy 71 before falling to Washington Sundar. Harry Brook followed soon after. But Root and Ben Stokes made sure England never lost control. They stitched up the innings, rotating strike, punishing bad balls, and keeping the runs flowing.
India’s bowling lacked bite. Bumrah looked off-colour. Siraj was wayward. Kamboj struggled to find rhythm. Even when India created chances, they let them slip, a missed LBW review and a poor run-out throw summed up the day.
England ended the day with a mammoth total and a strong lead, while India looked dazed, needing not just wickets, but a serious jolt of motivation. No wonder Atherton felt only one man could do that: Ravi Shastri.
