India v England - Why Yorkshire’s Joe Root deserves every one of his 100 caps

It was in the final game of the 2009 season that Moxon, the Yorkshire director of cricket, selected Root to open the batting in a Pro40 fixture against Essex at Headingley.

The 18-year-old Root top-scored with 63 as Yorkshire scored 187-7 but the youngster felt that he cost his side the match as he used up 95 balls in the process and Essex went on to win with 6.3 overs to spare.

To say that Root has come a long way since then – not least in his terms of his ability to score quickly – is an understatement as he prepares to face India in the opening Test in Chennai, where he will become just the second Yorkshireman after Sir Geoffrey Boycott, and just the 15th England player overall, to reach 100 Test caps.

It is a magnificent achievement by a player whom Moxon says has not changed one iota since he first came on the Yorkshire scene all those years ago, and who he believes is a tremendous role model and ambassador for the sport.

“It is a great achievement and I think one that’s fully deserved,” said Moxon. “Joe is a fantastic player and a great role model as well for all cricketers, and particularly every young cricketer.

“Every time he comes back into the Yorkshire dressing room he’s a great influence on everyone with his willingness to share information and help give advice.

“He’s particularly good at that with the younger players and he’s been like that throughout his career, so if anyone deserves to play 100 Tests then Joe definitely does.

“Joe has always been very down-to-earth and humble. From when he made his England debut to how he is now, he’s no different at all.

“His life has changed, obviously, but I don’t think that Joe as a person – certainly the experience that I’ve got of him, and I think I speak for everyone at Yorkshire here – has changed.

“He’s still the same person who’s got time for everyone and he’s a great ambassador and statesman for the game.

“Joe is comfortable in anyone’s company, which I think is a great gift, particularly when you’re the captain of your country, and it’s just the way that he is, the way that he’s been brought up and the way that his family are; he can speak to and relate to anyone really.”

Moxon knew that Root was something special when he first came on the scene as a youngster.

It was obvious, he felt, in the amount of time that Root had to play his shots – the hallmark of the very top players.

“He was someone when you watched him bat as a young cricketer that you thought, ‘Yes, there’s something about him’,” added Moxon.

“When you’re judging a batter, it’s the time they have that sets them apart, and Joe had that – just as Michael Vaughan used to have it as well.

“Joe just seemed to have the time to play and I think that’s what struck me really. He wasn’t a particularly big lad – he was actually quite small – but as the years went on he obviously grew and got stronger but he always had that time to play his shots.”

It is a quality which Root displayed in abundance in Sri Lanka, where he led England to a 2-0 Test whitewash last month.

The 30-year-old can rarely have played better, if at all, en route to scores of 228 and 186 which deservedly saw him named player-of-the-series.

“Joe was unbelievably good in those two Tests against Sri Lanka,” said Moxon.

“He was so clear in his decision-making, his shot execution and his game-plan, and his concentration and fitness levels were superb; he was hardly off the pitch for those two Tests.

“To perform the way he did, it would be difficult to argue that he is not at the top of his game and arguably in the form of his life because you can’t really do much better than that.

“He’s spoken recently about working on his game mentally with regards to getting those big scores again, and he’s really found the key to doing that now.

“As a captain he is also getting better all the time and blossoming in every aspect of the game.”

It feels as if the sky is the limit for Root, who has scored 8,249 Test runs at 49.39 – a higher average than anyone in England’s 100-club.

It is only a matter of time before he overtakes Sir Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 Test runs for England, with Moxon adamant that Root will want to keep playing for as long as he can.

“Joe will definitely want to keep playing for as long as possible because he’s that type of person,” he said.

“It’s going to come down to injuries, really, and whether he can avoid them, which determines how long he plays for as opposed to desire.

“If Joe can stay injury-free, who knows what he can achieve?

“The way he’s playing at the minute, perhaps his best years are still ahead.”

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