Funny start to Joe Root’s stint as Test captain

26 years of age. First Test as captain. The Lord’s Stadium. Maybe it was too much to handle for Yorkshire lad Joe Root. The stakes were high, Root would have felt the butterflies in his stomach when he walked down the stairs for the toss for the first time as captain of England. What construed next left everyone bemused and then, later, in splits.

Root brings a coin for toss

The right-handed batsman carried a coin along himself for the toss. Generally, in club cricket, one of the captains has to carry a coin for the toss but in international cricket, the ICC provides a coin to the umpire beforehand. But Root decided to bring one of his own, ‘not to come across as a tight Yorkshireman’ according to cricket journalist Nick Hoult.

The nerves weren’t calm. However, Root called right at the toss and decided to make first use at the wicket. His side was in all sorts of trouble at 76 for 4 but the man himself stood up to the task and carved a memorable century in his debut Test as captain.

Preceding captain Alistair Cook was under extreme pressure since a long time. He was labelled as a defensive captain, who sat back and waited for things to happen. He eventually, after a 4-0 drubbing in India, stepped down from his post. The ECB later appointed Joe Root as the Test captain, who is the best England batsman at the moment. The ODI reins are with Eoin Morgan, who is in the role for a few years now.

Root wants to excel in T20s

Root is said to be destined for great things. He has a great technique and a penchant for playing long innings. His average is in the north of 54 after 53 games. He has 12 centuries to his name and is also a handful batsman in ODI cricket. After getting dropped from the T20 set-up, Root has honed his big-hitting skills in a quest to excel in all formats of the game.