India, Nov. 21 -- Joe Root, inarguably the best Test batter in the past four to five years, entered the Ashes 2025-26 with a monkey on his back, and that being his below-par record in Australia. The long-time England No.4 is yet to score a century Down Under, and to no one's surprise, all the chatter has been about the 34-year-old and whether he can break the drought in the five-match series this time around. However, the right-hander got off to a horrific start at the Optus Stadium in Perth on the opening day of the series as he was sent back to the pavilion by Mitchell Starc.

The left-arm seamer dismissed Root for a duck, and the legendary batter's innings lasted just seven balls in the first innings of the first Test. With the dismiss...