As England supporters await confirmation of Joe Root’s ascension to the Test captaincy, monitoring events from Australia is the former Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie, who after five years watching the 26-year-old’s rise from fresh-faced rookie to leading Test batsman believes the timing could not be better.
Gillespie, who drew stumps on his golden spell in charge at Headingley last summer, shares none of the fears Root will be overburdened by the responsibility, instead expecting a surge in runs and a proactive style in keeping with the current generation’s desire to be aggressive.
Graeme Swann, the former England spinner, has expressed fears the crown could sit heavy on Root’s head, believing the desire to be more serious as vice-captain under Alastair Cook has already affected his batting and that “he’s not the cheeky, dynamic joie de vivre-type player he was two or three years ago.”
“I understand the point he’s trying to make,” says Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler who oversaw consecutive County Championship titles at Yorkshire. “And no one wants Joe to lose his swagger or that inherent cheekiness but this is a guy who is maturing all the time. He’s played 53 Tests, he’s 26 years old and he is ready to go.
“During my time in England I picked up a slight reluctance to give young guys leadership responsibility. But looking at the set-up, I don’t think there are any other candidates more qualified to take the role on than Joe Root. I think it can take his game to the next level. He’s got responsibility away from the game as a new father and I think it’s great timing for the young man to take the reins.
“I think the one thing we should not underestimate is that Cook will be playing on and be on hand to offer support. He’ll know what he’s going through and be able to lend a sympathetic ear. Joe will value that input and it will strengthen him further. They are tight and I can see this making them even tighter.”
With only three championship matches in charge of Yorkshire on his CV, Root’s captaincy has not been significantly tested and much of the talk has surrounded the record 472 chased down by Middlesex in 2014 that saw him affectionately dubbed “Craptain” by team-mates.
Gillespie’s view that Root will be a proactive leader is informed by another match, albeit one where he was in charge of the side for a matter of overs as Surrey were bowled out in dramatic fashion on the final day at Headingley last season in a collapse started by one such intervention.
“The game was ticking along a bit. Kumar Sangakkara and Steven Davies had put on a century stand for the third wicket and were well set with half-centuries to their names,” Gillespie says. “Our captain, Andrew Gale, went off for a few overs to see the physio, Joe took over and immediately brought himself on to bowl.
“That might seem like a bit of bravado but he simply weighed up the situation. There were two left-handers at the crease, our main spinner Adil Rashid turns the ball into them, so let’s try something different. He changed the field, brought catchers in, and lo and behold he picked up both wickets inside four overs that, with Jack Brooks picking one up at the other end, totally opened the game up.
“That was the kind of captaincy move that told me Joe won’t be a guy who lets the game meander. He will be a leader who is always thinking two steps ahead.”
Could Root as captain be a game-changer during next winter’s Ashes series? “The battle with him and Steve Smith will be fascinating – a battle within a battle. I think Joe Root as captain would be a really good, positive step by English cricket.
“It reminds me of the 1980s, where we had the four great all-rounders – Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan – all competing on the world stage. This decade we’ve got four great batsmen in Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson and with them now all leading their countries, provided Root gets the job, to me it seems a similarly exciting time to be a cricket fan.”
