Long before Joe Root became one of England’s biggest cricket stars, he was a young fan watching some of India’s greatest batters dominate at Headingley.
Joe Root recently recalled that his first experience of watching a Test match at the famous Leeds ground came during India’s 2002 tour of England. He was there with his local cricket club, Rotherham Town, as part of an Under-11 group that had been taken to watch the match.
What the young Joe Root witnessed was a memorable batting display from Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. India’s playing XI for the Test also included Virender Sehwag. Despite the pitch offering plenty of assistance to the bowlers, Sourav Ganguly surprised many English experts by choosing to bat first after winning the toss.
India went on to dominate, declaring at a huge 628/8. Tendulkar scored 193, Ganguly made 128, while Dravid produced 148. India eventually completed a massive innings-and-46-run victory.
Joe Root later described the experience as a difficult day for England’s bowlers, recalling how he spent much of the day watching Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly pile up runs, with Sachin Tendulkar also making a major contribution.
Ten years later, Joe Root returned to Test cricket in a very different role. At just 21 years old, he made his Test debut against an Indian side that was still built around Sachin Tendulkar. The journey eventually came full circle.
On Tuesday, during the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Durham, Joe Root reached 23,000 international runs, moving past the Indian batting legend in the process. Joe Root also began his second stint as England’s Test captain at Headingley in August, returning to the ground that holds a special place in his cricketing journey and is the home of his county, Yorkshire.
His return to the captaincy came during a difficult period for England, following a leadership crisis, off-field scandals and poor team performances. The team had also fallen short of what was expected of a side that, at the very least, could have challenged for a place in the World Test Championship final.
Yet Headingley was where Joe Root once again took responsibility.
From an Under-11 spectator watching Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid dominate England to becoming an England captain and eventually moving past Tendulkar’s international-run tally, Joe Root’s cricketing journey has come full circle.
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