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I was a team-mate of Joe Root at Yorkshire from 2009-12 and I remember seeing him bat for the first time in the indoor school at Headingley.
He would have been 13 or 14 at the time but looked about six. However, he had all the talent and was mature beyond his years.
When he first came into the dressing room he was quiet and respectful, something you don’t always get with young players. And it quickly became apparent that he was a good team man.
He would always contribute to team meetings, before and after games. If he saw someone was struggling he’d be one of the first to try to pick them up. Similarly, if someone was slacking off then Joe wouldn’t be afraid to tell them so. It’s such qualities that encourage the young players at Yorkshire and England to look up to him.
Memorable Test matches between England and India
People talk about Joe as a future England captain but you have to be a bit careful. He certainly has the attributes, but he’s still young. I’d like to see him establish himself in the batting order for another year or two. Maybe he could be vice-captain.
Long-term I see him batting at No3 or No4 for England, and I wouldn’t worry too much about his supposed ‘technical flaw’. He’s a back-foot player; that’s his game. Such traits are always emphasised when a batsman has a few low scores.
As for his feisty attitude on the field, we never saw it at Yorkshire but it’s part of his development. People will look at him and probably think they can bully him, but Joe has shown he will give as good as he gets.
