England’s newly appointed skipper of the Test team, Joe Root recalled an incident that happened 15 years ago when he turned up the stadium to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat. It was in the year 2002 when India toured England.
In the Test match at Headingley, India batted first and Joe Root wanted desperately to watch the great Sachin Tendulkar bat. But to his disappointment, Sanjay Bangar and Rahul Dravid batted for the most part of the day and Sachin walked out to bat only at the end of the day and remained not out at 18 at the end of the day.
“I remember coming here as a young boy watching Yorkshire in a Roses game. Obviously, I wanted to be a part of it straight away. The first Test match (I saw at Headingley) was against India. I think they only lost one wicket all day, India. I was desperate for Sachin to get in,” Root was quoted as saying by Times of India.
It turned out to be one of the most famous wins in Indian cricketing history. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly scored centuries and powered India to a massive 628. Ultimately, India went on to win the match by an innings and 46 runs.
To lead England is very special
After Alastair Cook stepped down as the captain of England’s Test team, Joe Root was handed over the captaincy. He got an excellent start to his career as England defeated South Africa in the first ever Test series he led the side in. He believes being able to lead the England side is special.
“I’ve watched a lot of cricket over the years here and now to get the opportunity to lead England here is obviously very special. To be at home, a place where I’ve played a lot of cricket, grown up learning the game, watching the game, it means a lot,” added Root.