Captaincy burdened him, set him free: Joe Root’s remarkable second act | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Joe Root ended the ODI series against India unbeaten, scoring 249 runs in three innings to guide England to a 2-1 series win. At 36, while many of his contemporaries are retiring, Root continues to reshape formats. All of Root’s scores in this series of 76, 99, and 74 came when the team needed him, and he was deservedly named the Player of the Series.Throughout the three-match ODI series against India, Root was England’s batting backbone. He scored 76 in the first ODI to help England recover to 258 from 107/6, followed it up with a match-winning 99 in the second ODI while chasing 234, and finished with an unbeaten 74 in the third ODI, anchoring England’s record 387-run total, supporting Ben Duckett’s 141 and overrating.
India had no answer to Joe Root
Joe Root breathed fire against India at home and denied India a fairytale comeback after their 0-4 T20I series defeat. In the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit SharmaIndia fought well, but they could not stop the home hero, Root, who remained a headache for the visitors.Remember Root’s bat-drop celebration against India in 2018? It was the last time England won an ODI series against India, and the hero then was none other than Root. He scored 113* and 100 in that series and was named Player of the Series.
Joe Root’s bat drop celebration
For more than a decade, Root was England’s most reliable batsman in Tests and ODIs, always delivering when the team needed him. Now 36, he continues to improve despite many of his contemporaries, such as Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan, Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersenand most recently Ben Stokes, who has retired from international cricket.The moot point is how Root can continue to compete with youngsters as he did a decade ago. What is the secret of his long life? Former England spinner Monty Panesar, who once shared the dressing room with Root, revealed the secret.Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, Monty Panesar pointed out Root’s hunger for runs and how he keeps improving with every match, making every ground his own den.
‘England’s Greatest Game’
“I think he is just hungry. He loves playing cricket and is still hungry to score runs. He still has that passion, and he probably wants to cement his status as one of England’s greatest cricketers. With an ODI average of over 50 and a Test average over 50, he probably feels he has a few years left. When he retires, he wants to be remembered as England’s greatest batsman,” Monty Panesar told TimesofIndia.com.In the modern T20 era, where batters look to come in, hit the ball, and walk away, Root prefers to stay at the crease and play like an old-school batter who believes in building innings rather than throwing his wicket into a careless shot.“When I played with him, he had a very strong defence. He was always comfortable playing reverse sweeps, paddle sweeps, and those little shots to score. He made it look so easy. You can see how his game has improved, even in Test cricket, where he is now playing the lap sweep in the slips for six. Cricket so his game is very effective. That’s the difference between Joe Root and a lot of young players today,” added Monty Panesar.
Joe Root’s many careers
There is another story that defines Joe Root’s career – his journey before, during, and after captaincy.Before becoming captain (2012–January 2017), he scored 8,211 runs in 152 matches at an average of 48.58.During his Test captaincy (2017–April 2022), Root amassed 8,680 runs in 149 matches at an average of 49.31. And since stepping down as captain in 2022, Root has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence. He amassed 5,942 runs in 89 matches at an average of 53.05, scoring 20 centuries while rediscovering his best form in Tests and ODIs.
JOE ROOT
‘The Captain Changed the Root, But It Didn’t Break’
“I think his time as captain was very difficult. England went through a difficult period where they won only one of 17 Test matches, and eventually he had to leave. Now he enjoys the freedom that comes without the burden of captaincy, and he makes the most of it because he knows how difficult things can be at the time. I think those experiences increased his hunger. He wants to continue playing as long as possible because he is enjoying scoring again for England,” said Monty Panesar.
Why Root Hasn’t Conquered T20 Cricket?
Whenever Joe Root is compared to the Fab Four, one question is always asked: Why has he failed to dominate in T20Is?There is Virat Kohli, who has excelled in every format he has played. Kane Williamson shows his class in all forms. Steve Smith did the same. But Root has always believed in elegant batting over power-hitting.“I think his game is naturally more suited to longer formats than T20 cricket, and that’s probably why he hasn’t been successful in the shortest format. If you compare him to young batters today, their games are built around T20 cricket. Joe Root’s strengths are more suited to Test cricket and ODIs. On the other hand, his technique and temperament are perfectly suited to Test cricket and ODIs,” explained Panesar.
‘Root is to England what Virat-Rohit is to India’: Kumble
England’s Answer to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
India have relied heavily on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over the years. England, on the other hand, relied on just one man whenever the batting was under pressure: Joseph Edward Root. After Root’s unbeaten 99 against India in the second ODI, former India captain Anil Kumble said: “What Virat and Rohit are for India, Root is for England.”That statement perfectly justifies how far Root has come in his career.“Joe Root gives someone like Harry Brook a lot of comfort. Harry Brook can go out there and play his attacking shots because he knows Joe Root is at the other end. When Root eventually retires, Brook may become more responsible, but for now Root is allowing the younger players to express themselves. The players know that when things get tough, Joe Root is still there. It is similar to what Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have meant for India,” said Monty Panesar.That’s probably the biggest compliment any batter can receive. When 10 other players and the coaching staff believe that, as long as you’re on the curb, anything is possible, you know you’ve earned that respect. That’s exactly what Root has built his entire career on.If Root continues to be broken Sachin TendulkarThe all-time record for Test runs, he needed just 1,807 more runs, won another ICC title, and helped England win back the Ashes at home, leaving him with little more to do in international cricket.As Panesar rightly pointed out: “If he does that, it will be the icing on the cake for Joe Root. Winning a World Cup in South Africa will be huge for him.”For now, Root continues to do what he has done for over a decade: score runs, frustrate bowlers, and prove that classical batting still has a place in the modern game.
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