JOE GLORY TOOK A TON OF GRAFT
Painstaking homework pays off as Root marks 100th Test with latest step to greatness
JOE ROOT has lifted the lid on the painstaking hours of homework that have led to his astonishing start to the new year.
The England captain led from the front in Chennai. His 20th Test century arrived in the opening innings of the first Test and set out his stall for the rest of the series. Root became the ninth batsman to score a ton on his 100th Test appearance.
It is something that used to be his speciality, with this being the eighth time the 30-yearold Yorkshireman has begun a series this way.
But before this year, the last occasion was in 2017.
In the meantime he has seen Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith (twice) do it to great effect against England – and that was the standard he wanted to get back to.
During lockdown, Root took it upon himself to do a forensic audit of his career to work out where he could improve his batting performances.
It included watching every single dismissal he has had in Test cricket so that he could work out where his strengths and weaknesses lie.
“I really used that lockdown period and that time away from the game to have a look at a few things technically,” said Root.
“I’ve looked at certain trends of how I was getting out in certain types of my innings and tried to eradicate it.
“I’ve tried to improve things and evolve as a player and it seems to be working nicely.”
It was painstaking work for the Test skipper, away from the England environment and the spotlight. By breaking it all down himself, he was then clear on what he needed to do to improve.
Root started contacting the people he trusted to help with the physical work and the training that went with it. This is what it takes to achieve greatness. This is the level of detail and commitment that are required to be the very best in your chosen profession, and it is reassuring to know that talent alone is not enough.
Batsmen such as Kohli, Williamson, Cheteshwar Pujara and Azhar Ali will recognise those traits, as would top-class bowlers such as James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ravichandran Ashwin. Smith and his Australia team-mate
Marnus Labuschagne might make headlines for their devotion to the art but they certainly do not have a monopoly on the hunt for batting perfection.
Entering the fray at 63-2 after the dismissals of Rory Burns, below, and Dan Lawrence in quick succession, Root had the weight of a team and a nation on his shoulders.
But even with the emotion of the game, and the size of the task, he produced an innings of sublime quality that only the very best are capable of, following closely on the heels of his epic knocks of 186 and 228 in Sri Lanka last month.
“I knew coming into it that I felt in good touch and my game feels in a good place,” said Root.
“You have to make the most of that. I know that if I can just spend time out there, things will get easier.
“Just slowly try to construct an innings.”
It sounds like the most simple thing to do in the world, and Root certainly makes it look easy.
But without the sort of work that he puts in behind the scenes the results would be far different.