Root insists England will be prepared for upcoming Ashes
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| Joe Root |
Joe Root, the England Test captain, vowed that he would be fully prepared to take on the challenge of playing Australia in their own backyard later this year in the eagerly-awaited Ashes series.
The bedrock of England's line-up, Root struggled on his previous trip to Australia in 2013-14, scoring just 192 runs at an averageof 27.42. Moreover, he was dropped for the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with England hurtling to a 5-0 series defeat.
The England team had to face abusive crowds and they struggled to handle the Mitchell Johnson-led pace attack. Root admitted that he he was taken aback by the hostile atmosphere. However, he also observed that he has learnt from his previous experience.
"That first Test match at Brisbane, when I walked out to bat, I think it did it hit me quite hard," Root noted on Wednesday (March 29). "It was like I walked into a conservatory door: I was not aware at all that it was there.
"For large periods of that trip, I was spending my time and energy working on things that other people said I needed to work on; getting forward; a bigger stride; getting into the ball. But in reality, they were bowling 95mph bouncers, so it was pointless. But I will be slightly more aware this time. I won't be caught cold. I know what to expect from what can be quite a hostile environment," he added.
Root also said that promising cricketers like Haseeb Hameed, Jake Ball and Keaton Jennings will be made aware of the kind of environment that they are likely going to face in Australia. He also added that they should embrace the challenge of playing in unfamiliar climes. "I think it's very important that the guys that haven't been there get a good idea of what it can be like," he said. "They shouldn't be afraid of it. They should try to embrace it and enjoy it. It's not always easy to enjoy it, but that tour is a great opportunity for this team.
"I think I've done all my learning from that tour already. I came back from it and thought: just strengthen all the things that have served you very well for long periods of time and slowly but surely work on the rest of it. From that I gained a lot of confidence. It was a really good way, from being in quite a difficult spot, of feeling good again."
In recent times, Root's batting deeds have been constantly compared with his contemporaries Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli. The Yorkshire batsman will now follow in the trio's footsteps as the captain of the national side. Root said that the trio of Smith, Kohli and Williamson serve as 'great examples' of shouldering extra responsibility of leading the side with success.
"They are great examples of taking that responsibility and making it a real asset to their games," Root said. "It's a good opportunity for me to do exactly the same. Over the last couple of years my consistency has been fantastic. But between 50 and 100 there have been far too many occasions when I have got out.
"On a few occasions I have been got out, but the majority of the time it has been a lapse of concentration and that's not good enough. I'm going to have to make sure that moving forward I set a really good example by going on and trying to make sure I make the most of those good starts and be a little bit more ruthless," he said.
