“I wasn’t able to switch off or be present with my family”: Joe Root shares struggles ahead of leaving England’s Test captaincy

Rishikesh Sharma | 01/09/2022
English batter Joe Root left the test captaincy of England after the unsuccessful test series against West Indies earlier this year.

English batter Joe Root left the test captaincy of England after the unsuccessful test series against West Indies earlier this year.

England is currently enjoying some great success with the red ball under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. The leadership group of the side changed after the West Indies tour when Joe Root resigned as the captain of the side due to the regular struggles of England.

As a batter, Joe Root has been exceptional for England since 2021, but the results were not visible in the matches. England lost the Ashes convincingly in Australia, whereas they could jot beat West Indies as well. Even after leaving the captaincy, Root has been excellent with the bat. In 2022, he has scored 950 test runs at 52.78 with the help of 5 centuries and 1 half-century.

Joe Root shares struggle ahead of leaving England’s captaincy

Joe Root recently appeared in the Vaughany & Tuffers CC podcast, where he talked about the struggles ahead of leaving the test captaincy of England. He said that the decision was the right one for the group and for himself as well. He said that the struggles was not only limited to him, but the toll was coming on his family as well.

“The last couple of years, it took the life of me, really. And it did take its toll. It was the right decision for the group, first and foremost, but also for me personally,” Joe Root said.

“I wasn’t myself. I was coming home from the series and I wasn’t able to switch off or be present with my family. I could see myself as a shadow of the person that I want to be.”

Root revealed he realized after the West Indies tour that it was his time to move on and someone else should take over the captaincy of the side. He then talked to his vice-captain Ben Stokes about the same, and he felt great after talking to him.

“I was desperate to turn things around, but I’m so glad that we went about things the way we did. I spoke to Ben [Stokes] personally as my vice-captain and probably closest friend within the group first,” Stokes added.

Post Edited By: Rishikesh Sharma
Joe Root

About the author

Rishikesh Sharma

An engineering graduate and an ardent sports fan, Rishikesh Sharma is covering cricket for three years now after not making peace with a corporate life and has written more than 5000 articles. While Sourav Ganguly made him fall in love with the sport, Brendon McCullum and Gautam Gambhir enhanced it. Apart from cricket, Rishikesh is a huge fan of Liverpool FC. When not watching sports, you will find him riding around Jaipur.

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