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Test Debutant
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After a gruelling five-month tour of Australia and New Zealand, the idea of being able to spend a few afternoons on the sofa watching television would appeal to many. Not Joe Root.
The IPL is in full flow once more and had things gone as he hoped the England captain would be out in India honing his T20 skills rather than recuperating at home.
However, after missing out in the auction, he has had to watch from afar as his international team-mates spend six weeks showcasing their skills in the world's most high-profile domestic tournament.
Not that Root begrudges them this opportunity, despite any personal disappointment at not being involved - it is the performances of the Jason Roy and Ben Stokes that have forced him to spend his time off in front of the TV.
Ben Stokes added another stunning IPL boundary catch to his CV with this cracker for Rajasthan against KKR
"It's not frustration watching the other guys," he told Sky Sports Cricket.
"There have been a number of times I've been sat on the sofa and ended up not being able to go out all afternoon because Jason is playing an unbelievable knock or Sam Billings is doing the same, Jos [Buttler] and Stokesy playing in the same side. I want to see them do well.
"Obviously, on a personal note, I went into the IPL auction to get a bit more exposure to T20 cricket, it didn't materialise, it would have been nice to be involved in that but I've got no bitter feelings towards the other guys, I think it's great.
"They'll benefit hugely from it and we, as a side, will benefit hugely from it. Look at the way Jos and Ben and a few guys came back from it last year and what it has brought to their games, it's been fabulous.
"Hopefully that can happen on a wider scale with more and more players going out there from English cricket, playing under scrutiny and in the high-pressure situations that that tournament brings, it can only be a good thing for us in the long term."
A little over a year since Root was appointed as England's Test captain, he is in a better position than most to talk about having to deal with additional pressures and scrutiny.
There can be few times an England skipper is under the microscope more than when things are going wrong on an Ashes tour.
Even putting aside the defeat in Australia, Root's first year at the helm has been an eventful one - "there have been a few things that I didn't expect to have to deal with" - but he insists that he remains excited by what this team can accomplish.
"There have been a few ups and downs along the way but we've become a lot tighter as a group and I think we'll be a better team for that," he said. "I think it can be a great launch pad for us now to really move forward and make big strides in Test cricket."
The majority of those ups came last summer as England claimed their first home Test series win over South Africa since 1998 before shaking off a surprise defeat at Headingley to beat the Windies.
But seven Tests without a win over the winter has led to suggestions that the side, certainly away from home, is not just standing still but going backwards.
Root, though, seems clear in how he wants to take England forward and key to that is the belief that there is no one way to win in all conditions.
He was certainly encouraged by the performance and balance of the side in their final Test of the winter in Christchurch but adaptability, he stressed, will be crucial in the months and years ahead.
"You have to have an open mind. If something isn't working, you can't continue to keep doing the same things over and over again.
"I thought coming into that last Test match and the way we played over those five days, we played some really good cricket. If the light had held out a little bit more on a few of the other days or on that final day, it might have been a very different end to a difficult winter.
"But there has been a lot to show me, especially in that team, that we can get to where we want to get to. It's going to take a long time, it's not going to happen overnight but there is everything there that shows we can be a force to be reckoned with."
That process is still in its infancy and while the XI in Christchurch felt like a step towards it, this is not yet Root's team, that, he says, will happen gradually.
As ever, the pressure to get results makes the challenge of moulding the team into his image, implementing changes and introducing new ideas all the more difficult.
As Brendan Rodgers once put it: "The problem with being a manager is it's like trying to build an aircraft while it is flying."
The same applies to Root as England captain and as he approaches his second summer in the role, expectations will only increase as the idea that he is 'new to the job' fades.
The travails of the winter only seem to have strengthened Root's resolve though and the indication is that he is ready to make the tough decisions.
"Looking forward, there will be changes, especially long-term and then it is up to guys to come in and take the opportunities.
"If we have to try different formulas in different conditions then so be it but again, from doing that, come great opportunities for someone and a chance to take that and make it difficult to leave them out again.
"I suppose [I want] a better continuation from that last game and to see us become adaptable and have as many options as we had over those five days. I want us to keep searching for ways to be a really effective side in a number of different conditions."
While Stokes, Buttler, Roy and co continue to play to sell-out crowds in India, Root will return to action for Yorkshire in rather more sedate surroundings at Chelmsford on May 4 as he begins his preparations for another hectic summer.
Pakistan and India are expected to provide a stern test of England's credentials and while success abroad may be the ultimate goal, ensuring home series victories remain a staple will be just as important as Root's reign progresses.
http://www.skysports.com/cricket/ne...nd-captain-his-plans-for-the-side-and-the-ipl
The IPL is in full flow once more and had things gone as he hoped the England captain would be out in India honing his T20 skills rather than recuperating at home.
However, after missing out in the auction, he has had to watch from afar as his international team-mates spend six weeks showcasing their skills in the world's most high-profile domestic tournament.
Not that Root begrudges them this opportunity, despite any personal disappointment at not being involved - it is the performances of the Jason Roy and Ben Stokes that have forced him to spend his time off in front of the TV.
Ben Stokes added another stunning IPL boundary catch to his CV with this cracker for Rajasthan against KKR
"It's not frustration watching the other guys," he told Sky Sports Cricket.
"There have been a number of times I've been sat on the sofa and ended up not being able to go out all afternoon because Jason is playing an unbelievable knock or Sam Billings is doing the same, Jos [Buttler] and Stokesy playing in the same side. I want to see them do well.
"Obviously, on a personal note, I went into the IPL auction to get a bit more exposure to T20 cricket, it didn't materialise, it would have been nice to be involved in that but I've got no bitter feelings towards the other guys, I think it's great.
"They'll benefit hugely from it and we, as a side, will benefit hugely from it. Look at the way Jos and Ben and a few guys came back from it last year and what it has brought to their games, it's been fabulous.
"Hopefully that can happen on a wider scale with more and more players going out there from English cricket, playing under scrutiny and in the high-pressure situations that that tournament brings, it can only be a good thing for us in the long term."
A little over a year since Root was appointed as England's Test captain, he is in a better position than most to talk about having to deal with additional pressures and scrutiny.
There can be few times an England skipper is under the microscope more than when things are going wrong on an Ashes tour.
Even putting aside the defeat in Australia, Root's first year at the helm has been an eventful one - "there have been a few things that I didn't expect to have to deal with" - but he insists that he remains excited by what this team can accomplish.
"There have been a few ups and downs along the way but we've become a lot tighter as a group and I think we'll be a better team for that," he said. "I think it can be a great launch pad for us now to really move forward and make big strides in Test cricket."
The majority of those ups came last summer as England claimed their first home Test series win over South Africa since 1998 before shaking off a surprise defeat at Headingley to beat the Windies.
But seven Tests without a win over the winter has led to suggestions that the side, certainly away from home, is not just standing still but going backwards.
Root, though, seems clear in how he wants to take England forward and key to that is the belief that there is no one way to win in all conditions.
He was certainly encouraged by the performance and balance of the side in their final Test of the winter in Christchurch but adaptability, he stressed, will be crucial in the months and years ahead.
"You have to have an open mind. If something isn't working, you can't continue to keep doing the same things over and over again.
"I thought coming into that last Test match and the way we played over those five days, we played some really good cricket. If the light had held out a little bit more on a few of the other days or on that final day, it might have been a very different end to a difficult winter.
"But there has been a lot to show me, especially in that team, that we can get to where we want to get to. It's going to take a long time, it's not going to happen overnight but there is everything there that shows we can be a force to be reckoned with."
That process is still in its infancy and while the XI in Christchurch felt like a step towards it, this is not yet Root's team, that, he says, will happen gradually.
As ever, the pressure to get results makes the challenge of moulding the team into his image, implementing changes and introducing new ideas all the more difficult.
As Brendan Rodgers once put it: "The problem with being a manager is it's like trying to build an aircraft while it is flying."
The same applies to Root as England captain and as he approaches his second summer in the role, expectations will only increase as the idea that he is 'new to the job' fades.
The travails of the winter only seem to have strengthened Root's resolve though and the indication is that he is ready to make the tough decisions.
"Looking forward, there will be changes, especially long-term and then it is up to guys to come in and take the opportunities.
"If we have to try different formulas in different conditions then so be it but again, from doing that, come great opportunities for someone and a chance to take that and make it difficult to leave them out again.
"I suppose [I want] a better continuation from that last game and to see us become adaptable and have as many options as we had over those five days. I want us to keep searching for ways to be a really effective side in a number of different conditions."
While Stokes, Buttler, Roy and co continue to play to sell-out crowds in India, Root will return to action for Yorkshire in rather more sedate surroundings at Chelmsford on May 4 as he begins his preparations for another hectic summer.
Pakistan and India are expected to provide a stern test of England's credentials and while success abroad may be the ultimate goal, ensuring home series victories remain a staple will be just as important as Root's reign progresses.
http://www.skysports.com/cricket/ne...nd-captain-his-plans-for-the-side-and-the-ipl
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