What if Wednesday | What if England had not recalled Joe Root after Ashes 2013/14
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SportsCafe
02/10/2021
After he accumulated just 192 runs across the first four Tests of Ashes 2013/14, England, in Sydney, did the unthinkable and dropped Joe Root. He was, however, immediately recalled and Root has since gone on to become one of England’s greatest. But what if the Yorkshireman never received the recall?
The shock axe came as a blessing for Root, who has since averaged 52.81 in Test cricket. As things stand, he is in line to become the greatest English cricketer of all time. But what if the selectors had decided against giving the golden boy of English cricket an immediate recall?
The withdrawal drew a sharp response from Cricket South Africa, which expressed frustration at the "eleventh hour" decision despite extensive work to establish bio-secure bubbles for the tourists.
Natarajan said he enjoyed playing under the captaincy of both Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, adding they both supported and encouraged him a lot. Natarajan took three wickets in the series-deciding Test, playing a part in India's incredible win.
India's draw against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series at Sydney would have been impossible without Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin's heroic stand on Day 5 of the match.