Joe Root is one of the best cricketers in the world and has amassed more than 10,500 Test match runs batting right-handed.
However, in the first Test between England and Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Root switched things up and began batting left-handed against spinner Zahid Mahmood. Mahmood was aiming for the rough outside the right-hander's leg-stump and in order to negate it, Root decided to bat left-handed.
The move left former England captain Nasser Hussain in disbelief on commentary, who joked that batting right-handed had become "too easy for him". Root played a conventional left-handed sweep shot off Mahmood, with Naseem Shah dropping a tough chance at midwicket.
And while he quickly returned to batting right-handed, Root repeatedly attempted reverse-sweeps against Mahmood to negate the rough. "That is remarkable what I've just seen there," Hussain said.
"Joe Root hasn't even bothered changing sides, he's just become a left-handed bat. Batting right-handed too easy for him. I mean how good does that look left-handed?"
Former England striker and BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker jokingly called Root "Rootie O'Sullivan" in reference to snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan's remarkable ability to play ambidextrously.
And fans were left in a similar state of disbelief on social media, with @MaybeMartLowe simply writing: "The man is a freak". @ScarlettSport joked: "Joe Root is bored of just being great so is inventing side quests for himself". @Camm_Brooks added: "The equivalent of Messi playing in goal and scoring a hat trick. Bloke is an alien".
Root is not the only batter to have decided to switch things up before, with Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar notably deciding to bat left-handed in a Ranji Trophy game for Bombay to negate Karnataka's left-arm spinner Raghuram Bhatt who Gavaskar later said was "pretty much unplayable on that surface" for right-handers.
Australia star David Warner also decided to bat right-handed in a Bangladesh Premier League game for Sylhet Sixers in 2019, smashing 14 runs off three balls from Chris Gayle.
