Published 19:16 IST, February 7th 2021
Vaughan terms Root as better player of spin than Virat Kohli, faces netizens 'fact' wrath
When Michael Vaughan opined on Sunday that Joe Root is the better player of spin than Indian captain Virat Kohli, he had to face the wrath of netizens.
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With Joe Root's exploits against India in the ongoing Chennai Test, Michael Vaughan has been one of the many admirers heaping praise on the English skipper for his ability to counter spin in subcontinent conditions. Vaughan, in one of his plenty of tweets, has also remarked that Joe Root would go on to retire as England's best batsman. However, when the former English skipper opined on Sunday that Root is the better player of spin than Indian captain Virat Kohli, he had to face the wrath of netizens.
On Sunday, as India toiled hard for runs with not so many wickets in hand, Vaughan highlighted that the average runs scored by Kohli and Root against spin to assert that the English skipper was better at it than his Indian counterpart. Vaughan also used the hashtag 'fact' to buttress his point. However, netizens rushed to destroy Vaughan's 'fact' as they pointed out that the Indian skipper plays more Tests in spin-friendly conditions than Joe Root.
Joe Root aves 70.7 v spin, Kohli 69.0 ... But against off-spin specifically: Root 71.2, Kohli 53.1. !!! So @root66 is factually a better player of spin than Virat ... #Fact #INDvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 7, 2021
Here's how Twitter reacted:
Conveniently ignores that Kohli plays more tests in spin friendly conditions than Root. #OnOn
— Abdul. (@ICosmicLatte) February 7, 2021
Kohli 27 centuries in 87 matches
— 🇮🇳 (@madmax29580547) February 7, 2021
7 double hundred
Rooot 20 centuries in 100 matches
4 double hundred
Let that sink in 🙌
You can’t just look at averages - against which teams? Which spinners? What conditions? There are too many variables that need to be taken into account before arriving at a definitive conclusion. It’s elementary statistics!
— Navin Valrani (@navinvalrani) February 7, 2021
And Kohli Better player of Pace Bowling than Root..
— Arun (@iArun_) February 7, 2021
This is rubbish. Not taking a side but half of Root's tests see him playing against spin in England, whereas Virat plays half his tests combating spin bowling in spin-friendly conditions.
— James Godby (@jimlikescricket) February 7, 2021
You can’t just look at averages - against which teams? Which spinners? What conditions? There are too many variables that need to be taken into account before arriving at a definitive conclusion. It’s elementary statistics!
— Navin Valrani (@navinvalrani) February 7, 2021
Root gets another ton
Skipper Joe Root scored a superb double century in his 100th Test as England continued to frustrate India, amassing 578 in the first innings of the Chennai Test. The 30-year-old Root became the first player to notch up a double ton in his 100th Test on the way to his 218 off 377 balls, while Ben Stokes hit a counter-attacking 82 off 118 balls, studded with 10 fours and three sixes. On Day 3, Rishabh Pant's beautiful edge-of-the-seat hitting ended with his now customary indiscretion, putting India under the pump against a supremely confident England gunning for victory at the end of third day's play. At stumps, India were 257 for 6 in reply to England's massive first innings score of 578 with 122 runs still needed to avoid the follow-on after Pant (91 off 88 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (73 off 143 balls) added 119 runs for the fifth wicket.
19:16 IST, February 7th 2021