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England batter Joe Root admitted that getting his first Test century in Australia was a "relief" and spoke about what led to him getting to that once-elusive milestone during the Brisbane Test after a horror show at Perth.
Root kick-started his Ashes series in Australia with two single-digit scores at Perth, with his Test legacy as an all-conquering legend in question. However, in a technical masterclass at Brisbane during the pink-ball Test, Root ended all doubts about his greatness, scoring a patient 138-run knock which has so far been the biggest moment of joy for England in what has been a largely poor series so far for England, as they had to Adelaide Test with a 0-2 scoreline, making the match a do-or-die affair. Speaking to Sky Sports, Root admitted, "Relief (on scoring first century in Australia in Tests)." Further reflecting on what freed him at Brisbane, Root said that at Perth, he was "too obsessed with the bounce" and that led to his dismissal. "I think in the first Test I got too obsessed with the bounce, trying to play square of the wicket. I think that was to my demise in both innings," he said. Further said that in Brisbane, he "took out the modes of dismissal" out of the equation and focused on "playing straight". "In Brisbane, I tried to take modes of dismissal out of the game where I could, played as straight as possible and understood that sometimes less is more in those conditions." "Trying to take out as much risk as possible with the highest amount of output and replicate that time and time again," he concluded. Now in Australia, in 16 Tests and 31 innings, he has scored 1,053 runs at an average of 37.60, with a century and nine fifties, with a best score of 138*. (ANI)
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