OPINION
Follow Us76.3 A trademark flick down to deep-square leg for a couple of runs by Joe Root brings the joy of ecstasy to millions of people across the globe.
"He does it again with a smile on his face, and it is the 26th Test hundred. 10,000 Test runs for England in Tests and his first hundred in the fourth innings of a game. He is one of England's all-time greats, and he is loved by his team and every England Cricket fan," these words by Nasser Hussain pretty much sum up the emotion of every person watching in the stadium or on their television sets.
There is bound to be a plethora of emotions for someone who has dealt with the hard yards of the sport after being at the helm of a team that has endured a torrid run in the recent past. One of the most dominating sides in the white-ball format, it was hard to fathom that England have been the most disappointing team in the longest format of the game.
Amidst all the chaos surrounding the team, there was one man, the skipper of the side, Joe Root, who was silently facing the brunt of England's decline in the red-ball format.
As the most prolific run-scorer for his team and across the globe, he was waging a solo battle as England's fortunes were going downhill.
There ain't any doubt about the perennial issues that were hampering the team, especially in the batting unit, and despite Root's valiant effort to bail the side out of challenging situations time and time again, England lost nine out of the 15 Test matches last season.
In conversation with Sportsday, Ian Bell said, "They need another set of eyes helping them to make these decisions," referring to the idea of having the traditional selectional panel and a different set of coaches.
And rightly so, after their 4-0 Ashes drubbing and a humiliating defeat against the Caribbean away from home, the alpha of the team decided to relinquish his captaincy.
After five years of being at the helm and architecting memorable moments and wins for England's fans, it was time for Ben Stokes to marshal the troops.
In an era where England is driven by two Kiwi boys in Stokes and Brendon McCullum, it is ironic that the duo played a significant part in plotting the Kiwi downfall at the Home of Cricket.
While England bottled the advantage in the first innings after bundling out the defending WTC champions for 132, a spirited fightback from the bowling unit led by Stuart Broad helped them derail New Zealand in the second innings.
In pursuit of 277 runs, England were tottering at 32 for the loss of two wickets when their former skipper walked out to the middle.
The right-hander steadied the innings and accumulated the ones and the twos with some firm backfoot punches and gentle drives on the up to help England inch closer to the target.
Despite losing partners at the other end, Root was solid in his defence and found an able batter in Stokes to rally the innings. The duo stitched a crucial partnership of 90 to pull the team closer to the finish line.
However, with the dismissal of Stokes, the onus of the side relied heavily on the shoulders of Root and boy; he did not disappoint. After toiling for over six hours in the scorching heat and negotiating deliveries, he crafted his way to a sublime to stage England's comeback.
One of the highlights of Root's masterclass was his ability to shift gears as he smashed 43 runs off 41 deliveries after the dismissal to Stokes. While he had Ben Foakes, who is no muck with the bat, Root and the Kiwi side did realise that the dueling fates of the game relied on his performance.
The right-handed batter showcased shades of aggression with authoritative pull strokes and cut shots to reiterate why he is considered as one of the best England have ever produced.
Along with the wicket-keeper, he ensured England went unscathed to stumps with only 61 runs required to gain a vital lead in the series. A night full of uncertainties and nervous energies, bright sunshine greeted the two sides on the penultimate day of the Test match.
With all the attention and focus on Root, the right-handed batter started the day with a faint tickle down to fine leg to get things underway. In the next 60 minutes that followed, Root produced an array of strokes all around the ground to ensure England needed only two runs to win their first Test with a new captain and coach.
And it was only fitting that Root brought up the win with his trademark pull and join an elite list of players to scale the 10k mountain and become the second-youngest behind Sir Alastair Cook to achieve this historic feat.
"It has been a tough road for us but more than anything, for us to have won this Test match after such a long time is very enjoyable. Hopefully, we can use this as a way to step forward, he said in the post-match interview.
Well, the team management would hope for this to be the start of something incredibly special for England cricket.
