The Trouble With Being Joe Root
A second massive century on the trot is providing optimism to fans of the English skipper- but they must experience this serenity with a pinch of salt
Joe Root’s never been bad. For the longest time, he’s not been maddeningly brilliant either.
The overall quality of county cricket has diminished, and representation remains a key issue beyond the immediate eleven of the national side. But a World Cup victory and a charismatic set of players has certainly given English cricket a boost after spending years in the wilderness, banished from terrestrial television at home.
There is no dearth of charisma in the incumbent cricketing side. Jonny Bairstow spends half of his time proving his critics wrong, too effectively for anyone in the dressing room to elucidate upon the fictional nature of these critics. Ben Stokes spends half of his time pulling off miracles, and the other half secretly polishing the bottom edge of his bat in the hope of another overthrow gliding to the boundary off it. And Joe Root - well, he spends all of his time being Joe Root.
He lured in his fans with the promise of his charming strokeplay in his early years, convincing many along the way that he was going to become the country’s greatest Test batsman. He is decent at white-ball cricket too - he’s got a T20 World Cup masterpiece to prove the same - but it was in his whites that he was going to become the best of the lot. And then, along with the burden of an entire sporting world’s expectations came the passing of the baton which made him the Test captain.
His struggles since then have been well-documented. His falling head which complements his quintessential flick shot has been dissected so many times that one may be forgiven for thinking he gets out every time he tries to be good at cricket. A reading of his numbers will tell a casual onlooker the truth - he’s not been brilliant for the longest time now. His average has hovered below 50. That’s not brilliant, and unbecoming of a player of his calibre.
And thus, his non-conversion of fifties became the leading point of concern during the well-covered campaign demanding the Cricketing Gods to revoke his license to the Fab Four. It took cricket fans all over the globe more than a year to figure out that the Fab Four is, in fact, not an official club where the world’s best willow-wielders hang out after stumps every day. Rather, it’s an arbitrary grouping of talented people.
The other three - Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson - have done justice to their tags. The Kiwi skipper comes closest in terms of temperament and talent in comparison to his English counterpart. Yet, even as Joe Root slipped into a rut where he could not get going during the 2020 home summer against either West Indies or Pakistan, Williamson soared to the top of the batting charts, and his side - fuelled by the world’s most limited resources - rose to the top of the Test world rankings.
While Williamson does not get enough attention from the media, Root arguable gets too much of it. His numbers have never been awful. He plays in the toughest batting conditions in the world. Yes, No4 is a cosy place to bat from, but not one without perils. No one in his side has done as well as him for as long as he has.
Yet, he hasn’t been maddeningly brilliant. And that’s the entire problem, isn’t it?
When he embarked upon the tour of the subcontinent, he must have remained under as intense scrutiny as he had ever been, despite an excellent string of results in the previous home summer. At the very least, it surely negated the relief he must have felt on realising he would not need to worry about T20 cricket until the Asian tour got over, with his place in the World Cup squad remaining as distant as ever.
And that brings us to his innings on Sunday. As people woke up back in the UK for one last bout of relaxation before another homebound week arrived, an optimistic scorecard greeted them. Joe Root was at his freewheeling best. The flicks, the sweeps, even the occasional drives - everything was on the table again as he motored through his innings.
That is the thing about players like Root. Brilliance is of many kinds, but when glimpses of it are shown by men as talented as the English skipper, it remains unparalleled. Almost every other batsman in the series has succumbed to the mysteries of the pitches or the perils of their minds. But there he was, as busy at the crease as he had ever been, keeping the runs flowing with no regard for the gravity of the situation at the other end.
By the time his fans back home got to take in the idea of a rejuvenated Root, most of his teammates had departed back to the pavillion where questions would be asked of them. But for the moment, neither the management nor his supporters were grudging as they granted the spotlight to be cast upon a man who remains one of the best players in the world.
His double ton was not a one-off, then. Neither was his sudden surge in tactical acumen mere fluke. For the second match in the row, he threatened to be the sole reason his side remains in the contest without folding like a pack of cards, his headless chicken run-out in the Galle chase notwithstanding.
But the critics in the English media tend to over-rely on rhetorics. For the longest time, it seemed like the exaggerations would come to life, and Joe Root’s prolific batting flair would drift into the abyss along with the future of the England team. A second big century on the trot will have silenced them, and hopefully allows Joe Root to sleep without all the worries of the world on his shoulder when he goes to bed tonight, sore from the proactive running between the wickets which is redefining his game.
But he must sleep with one eye open - metaphorically, of course, unless you count upon a late-night reappearance of the giant lizard which interrupted play for a few moments today. The current Sri Lankan side is not the greatest they have ever fielded, and it shows. Root’s unorthodox field placement, below-par spin contingency and rapid bowling changes might not work against the Indian side coming off their greatest series victory. No one should begrudge a loss against them, but people will.
Joe Root seems to be in the form of his life once again. The sample size this year is too small, but his career average is on the verge of crossing 50 once again. He rocks his head to the side like a man who has given up his worst demons, only to realise the pitch in front of him does not have nearly as many demons of their own. He will hope for a clean sweep in a series where England might have been behind the game at times, but have always been ahead in terms of confidence.
This upcoming phase of English Test cricket must be entered with a word of caution. The confidence of a team permeates from the captain and down to the rest of the line-up, and it has shown on this tour. The series against India still threatens to be a long one, where things could take a turn for the worse more rapidly than an Ashwin carrom ball sent down a fourth-day pitch in the subcontinent.
Critics will have their sleeves rolled up for what could very well be their biggest series of the year. The current outfit’s flaws are, after all, not expertly disguised despite the best efforts of their skipper. But if there is one thing the English team - and skipper Root in particular - could learn from their Indian team in the days to come, it is that heart and grit might just prove to be enough when the rest of the odds are stacked against you.
For now, though, exciting times lie ahead for skipper Root. One run at a time, with an eye on the future.