Joe Root says he won't be caught cold in the Ashes this time

England’s star batsman and captain Joe Root did not have a good outing when he first faced Australia in their backyard but expects to come out strong this time around. Root was one of England’s emerging young cricketers that time but failed to make an impact in the Ashes against the mighty Australian bowling line up. However, he is a much more mature and confident batsman now and Australia is likely to have a tough time dealing with him at the end of the year.

The right-hander admits that he was “caught cold” by the hostility of the environment as the Australian team along with the crowd was quite intimidating for a young batsman. By the end of the series, England were completely routed 5-0 and Root faced the axe due to his poor performance in the Ashes. The 26-year-old finished with an awful average of 27.42 after the fourth test and managed to reach the 30’s only once in the series.

Root said, “That first Test match at Brisbane, when I walked out to bat, I think it did it hit me quite hard. It was like I walked into a conservatory door: I was not aware at all that it was there.”

The newly appointed English captain also spoke about the difficulties he was having while facing the fiery Aussie bowling attack and the pieces of advice others gave him.

“For large periods of that trip, I was spending my time and energy working on things that other people said I needed to work on; getting forward; a bigger stride; getting into the ball. But in reality, they were bowling 95mph bouncers, so it was pointless.” Root said.

This time he looks absolutely ready for the challenge as he has evolved from a good batsman to a class batsman and would be waiting for the Ashes to start at the end of the year.

“But I will be slightly more aware this time. I won’t be caught cold. I know what to expect from what can be quite a hostile environment.”