The numerous time Root had stopped before the mirror for the shadow batting, seldom he would have gone through the sweep shot. The shot that has become his go-to and in process of becoming his signature shot. He now can challenge the other marque players’ signature shots with his beauty sweeps. Because when Root does it, he does it with perfection.
He doesn’t force them. He doesn’t go, sweep every single delivery he faces. He waits for the right one goes instinctively and commits to them. He doesn’t slap. It’s more like soothing. He minimizes the top-edge danger by choosing the delivery well, mostly plays sweep to the deliveries that are straight and in line.
The rise of Root’s Sweep has a lot to do with the Sri Lankan series. Probably, the first series where he decided to put himself first. He cared about his wicket. He had a price for it, and the team wasn’t good enough to buy his wicket. It took him years to realize that he should be having a price on the wicket, that he needs to be selfish.
Selfish in terms of spending more time on the field, in terms of converting his 70s and 80s to hundreds and double-hundreds. All his teammates and the legends did that. Even his rivals right now are doing that.
Maybe, he wasn’t thinking about all these because Root ahead of his time. When the stars from his own country had issues, some with behaviour, some with ego, some with the captain, Root so far has that clean sheet and has been the spokesperson for his team for a long time now.
A role model he is, he stood for BLM and called out when there was a homophobic comment on the field. Root knows what he is doing and has been vocal about it.
Cook is shy. KP had his own issues but Root has been building his own legacy. He doesn’t bat between life and struggle. He keeps things simple perhaps the reason why people often fail to mention him. Of course, this old stupid world usually loves melodramas and melancholy more than a gentle story.
He is lot like Andy Murray. There are so many similarities between these two players. They are the current best from their country but is still catching up with other greats around the world. They were/are more of an outsider inside the fab four. Still, they had/have the guts to stand up for themselves. Maybe, Murray is funnier that’s there and Root is more of a monosyllable man. He is not shy though.
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The rage of the red balls usually reveals characters. Some become irritants, some become aggressive, some become vocal. Root is different. While batting, he releases that inner-rascal who sees the ball very fine and do things that usually we don’t see in Test cricket. That inner-rascal is fully present in the moment. He goes for a sweep, Ramps, switch-hits. It took years of practice for Root to get that rascal to do things for him.
Off the field, Root is more like a regular family man who one meets at a grocery store. That family man who usually smiles and walks off. Now, he does bring that smile during crunch situations. Ask the bowlers, they know. Stare at him, he would smile back. Hit him on his helmet, he would laugh it off. Sledge him, he smiles and probably would appreciate you for trying.
Everything began when Root was two. He was holding a tiny bat when he was that young and he still continues to carry the bat, of course, now bigger than the one he had when he was two, wherever he goes like it is a lucky charm, a good luck bracelet or something.
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It is not like Root hasn’t failed in his career. He even had a hill fall when he was young where the bowlers killed him with LBWs. Tweaks to the techniques followed, thanks to hours of practice. He came back stronger.
In International cricket, Root never really fell on his face but had times where he would leave the job half-done. There were times he inhaled bad air, attracted criticism more than attention. There were hungry bowlers who were ready to hunt him down. They did drag him to places he never wanted to be. Once. Twice. Thrice.
The bad calls kept coming, the bounces kept blowing. Still, Root smiled. On the field. Off the field. He went back, did a quick fix. Came, invited bowlers to his world. The world full of escape rooms where Root left the bowlers after turning the lights off and ran away with the key. That’s Root’s world. No bowler likes it there.
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Indian bowlers were generous enough to accept an invitation to Root’s world today.
Root came in when England needed runs more than anything else. Root needed them too. He wasn’t doing anything stupid. He didn’t drive until it was needed. He gave nothing to the Indians, not even a half shot that usually a man in form does. He was keeping quiet and waited to wear the Indian bowlers. He took Bumrah off the attack; Ashwin didn’t trouble him much but there was one occasion where he made himself nervous. A top-edge off Nadeem but the ball went on to land safe. Other than that, he was challenging the Indian team to bowl to him in the areas he wanted and slowly improved his scoring rate after eating deliveries to fill up his hunger of settling. Once done, he went for the shots he usually will play in the white-ball game and took down every request he got from the bowlers to release them from the Root’s world.
With plenty of hours to go, Root might dance around while the bowlers are still finding a way out. He might give in because he is a good man. That’s there.
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Barely into the 30s, Root still has a long way to go. Nobody knows how his story is going to end but sure this will be a celebrated one.
From the man who began his career walking in at number six in this same country, dressing like a team’s mascot with an over-sized helmet to come back to the country as the leader of the pack, Root has always been the golden boy and he always will be. There will be times where he might lose his glow but this Midas can never lose his touch. Here’s to 100 and to 100 more.
Image courtesy: ICC
