He may be coming off hundreds in three consecutive Tests against India and fast approaching Sachin Tendulkar’s peak of run aggregate in the longest format of the game, but it still doesn’t make Joe Root immune from pre-Ashes jibes from former Australian players.
Glenn McGrath has come out with his usual 5-0 prediction ahead of the series starting in Perth in November, and David Warner has hinted at the England’s maestro’s alleged propensity of frequently getting out LBW.
The sledges are not totally without context. Since winning the Ashes Down Under in 2010-11, England have failed to win a single Test there, losing 13 of the 15 Games. And though Root has 39 Test hundreds in a career spanning 158 matches, he has yet to reach three figures in Australia despite three tours there.
“Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He (Root) will have to take the surfboard off his front leg,” Warner had remarked recently in England where he is playing in The Hundred for London Spirit. The tall Aussie pacer has dismissed Root 10 times in 31 innings at an average of 31.40.
But true to nature, Root downplayed the jibe saying “I guess it is all part of the fun, “it is all part of the fun,” while claiming that he is now better placed to set the record straight on the home turf of England’s oldest rivals.
“What more can I do about it? Just keep my surfboard out the way and make sure it is not a talking point in 100 days’ time,” the 34-year-old said.
“I can’t have any control or say on how people see the game or talk in an interview. It is irrelevant.”
Root believes that with recent form and experience behind him, and crucially without the added burden of captaincy on his shoulders, he can have a great series in Australia this time round.
“Having played in Australia a couple of times before, now going with 150-odd Test caps under my belt, I feel I couldn’t be more ready for it,” he said.
“The thing that stands out for me is I probably wanted it [a century] way too much the last couple of times. It took me away from what was important.”
Ashes contests are never without off-field narratives, and Root feels they may have also had a bearing on his performances.
“There were a lot of distractions,” said Root. “I was captain, Covid [during the 2021-22 series], there was the (Ben) Stokes incident the time before that, the Jonny [Bairstow] headbutt incident as well.
“This time I want to just go and enjoy the tour for what it is. I know if I put my best performances in then everything else will look after itself,” he added.
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