Ian Chappell predicts tough road ahead for Joe Root, names two key series for England batter

Joe Root (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Joe Root’s performance since stepping down as England captain will be tested in the upcoming series against India and Australia, according to Australian cricket legend Ian Chappell.
Root has scored 10 centuries in 54 innings over the past two and a half years, surpassing Sir Alastair Cook as England’s highest Test run-scorer.
“Root’s phenomenal run-making will again be tested when first he faces India at home and then Australia away,” Chappell wrote for ESPNcricinfo.”In those two series Root will be facing the best attacks in Test cricket, and his technique against both pace and spin will again be fully scrutinised.”
England will host India for a four-match Test series next summer, and later travel to Australia to regain the Ashes. Currently, England is tied 1-1 in a three-match series against Pakistan, with the final Test starting on October 24.
“As the most technically gifted, Root will have the task of convincing his fellow teammates that numerous versions of the sweep shot aren’t the ideal way to combat good spinners,” Chappell added.
Root has been England’s top batsman since his debut but has yet to score a century in Australia. Chappell suggests Root needs to reassess his approach to the extra bounce on Australian pitches.
“Root was born to make runs. He’s a joy to watch, as he balances a solid technique with the desire to score at every opportunity,” Chappell wrote. He also noted that although Root has performed respectably in Australia, he has been caught behind ten times in 27 innings.
“If you’re going to be dismissed, it’s preferable to get out to a good bowler,” Chappell stated. “The more worrying Root statistic in Australia is the number of times he’s been caught behind. While he could counter with ‘you’ve got to be good enough to nick ’em’, it does suggest he needs to reassess the extra bounce Australian pitches provide.”
Root’s next opportunity to correct this will likely come in the 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia, assuming he is not sidelined by injury or any other possibilities.