I HAVE RUN OUT OF SUPERLATIVES, SAYS BAIRSTOW AFTER ROOT’S MASTERCLASS

England batsman Jonny Bairstow said he has run out of “superlatives” to describe skipper Joe Root’s achievements in the longest format of the game.Root on Saturday became the second England batsman to hit 9000 runs in Test cricket after former skipper Alastair Cook. “He is in second place in the leaderboard among run-scorers in the history of the English game. It is very special to pass 9,000 Test runs in this game. It’s extremely special to score another 180 not out at Lord’s,” said Bairstow in the virtual press conference after the end of the third day’s play.

“I’ve run out of superlatives there, and to see him in the form that he is, playing the way he is, it’s awesome to be out there with him. “It’s awesome to be out there putting on partnerships with him and enjoying every single moment of it as I’ve done over many years,” he added. England were bundled out for 391 in the first innings. Root was left stranded on 180* as James Anderson was dismissed on the final ball of day three. Prior to that Bairstow had helped his captain by hitting crucial 57 runs. “Joe and I, when we were walking out, we were just smiling at each other. How good is it to walk out on a Saturday at Lord’s, with one of your best mates?” said Bairstow.

“That’s exactly what it was. Our partnership was about having fun while we were out there, and to have a full crowd back at Lord’s, with the new stand, with family and friends, was really special. That Lord’s buzz, or hum, or however you want to phrase it, was most definitely back,” he added.England lead by 27 runs and India will come out to bat on Sunday in the second innings. Bairstow however remains skeptical as to who has the advantage in the match going into fourth day.

“I’m not a bookie; I don’t think I’ll ever be one. Let’s see how tomorrow goes. We’ve got a new ball in our hands. We saw it was tough and challenging when they got their second new ball today,” said Bairstow. “We come in tomorrow all fired up; we’ve got guys we’re able to challenge in every way possible. We’ve got the pace of Woody we’ve got the swing of Jimmy we’ve got the nip of Ollie Rob. ‘Not to mention Sammy Curran. It’s going to be a really challenging day hopefully, for the Indians. We’ll be looking to make sure we challenge every part of their game,’ he added.