Follow UsJoe Root is one of the most influential Test batters of the last decade and a half. He currently holds the record for active player with most Test tons, having hit 39 of them. There is hardly any cricketer in the current English team as capable as Root, but not according to Greg Chappell.
The former Australian cricketer and India coach has identified Harry Brook as Root’s real successor when it comes to Test cricket.
"Brook has the tools to be one of England's finest batters, arguably their most destructive in the modern era. He has time, range, confidence, and that rare gift of making batting look effortless. But cricket, particularly Test cricket, is not just about shot-making. It's about judgment," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.
Describing how Brook’s reckless approach in the Oval Test cost England a series, Chappell said that the Yorkshire player needs to learn from Root about how to build a career with graft and grind.
"Brook's dismissal at The Oval was symptomatic of the conundrum England are facing. The 'Bazball' philosophy has rejuvenated their Test side, but it cannot become an excuse to shy away from the hard graft. Positive cricket isn't reckless cricket, it's confident, calculated risk-taking," wrote the 77-year-old.
But the Australian showed confidence in Brook, learning from his mistakes and utilising his full potential to become England’s next great.
"Brook is still emerging, and he will learn. But to fulfil his vast potential, he must embrace the grind along with the glamour. Root didn't become England's most prolific batter by always playing pretty strokes; he earned it with grit. Brook will need to do the same," Chappell wrote.
Brook, only 26, has an average of 57 and 2820 runs with a strike rate of 87.52. His 10 centuries are the second-most by a cricketer since his debut. At the top is Root with 11 tons.