Joe Root will go down as England's greatest batter in Tests even if he is not able to break Sachin Tendulkar바카라s gargantuan record of 15,921 runs, reckons his former teammate Ian Bell. (More Cricket News)
Root went past Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara recently to move to the sixth spot in the list of highest run-getters in the longest format.
바카라He's played incredibly well in the last 12 months. I don't think he's overthinking too much what's ahead. He's just sort of living in the moment as we are,바카라 Bell told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket.
바카라To think that he can even get close to someone like Sachin, a real great of the game, someone that we've all admired growing up, as a hero to not just people and fans in India, but around the world.
바카라To think that Joe could get close is an amazing achievement on his behalf. He'll go down as England's greatest batsman. There's no doubt whether he does get to Sachin or not,바카라 said the 42-year-old who played as many as 118 Tests for England.
With 12,402 runs, the 33-year-old Root is 3,519 runs away from breaking Tendulkar바카라s record.
Bazball has unlocked talent of current players
Bell feels England바카라s much talked-about Bazball approach has unlocked talent of the current players.
바카라From a fan point of view, you have to look at the results. Since Brendon (McCullum) has come into this England side and (Ben) Stokes has took over, the results have been absolutely fantastic.
바카라What they've managed to do with the talent that they have is to unlock some of that.... Zak Crawley's, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, they've managed to get the best out of them.
바카라I don't think you could ask a Crawley or Pope to try and be an Alastair Cook or a Jonathan Trott who played in a different style, but were very successful. It's important to identify what they've got and they're adapting that as we go on now."
However, with England not featuring among contenders for World Test Championship final in the first two editions, Bell said winning away would be as important as at home in the next cycle.
바카라I'm sure they've got one eye on the next 12 months, which has five Test matches (against) India at home, which will be a huge challenge,바카라 he said.
바카라India are probably the best team in the world at the moment, and then, Australia away. Those 10 Test matches on the road will be hugely important for that group of players and something they're gearing themselves up for.
바카라We were the last team to win in India, which was obviously (a) part of the journey to get to No 1 and we won in Australia. For this England side to get to No 1, there바카라s no doubt, ability and talent-wise, they have that,바카라 he said.
He also stressed on consistency shown by the Indian team which has won 17 series in a row at home and its last two series in Australia.
바카라That's what we've seen with India at the moment. They've managed to be able to win away from home as much as anyone and that's the reason why they are the No 1 team in the world at the moment.바카라
Next generation of England players growing up with big T20 diet
Bell agreed while one could argue saying England바카라s white-ball revolution has also seen diminishing batting averages of the players in Tests barring Root.
바카라You could definitely have that argument. The next generation of players are growing up with a big diet of T20 cricket in early age and have a look at cricket in England at the moment, there바카라s a lot of short format cricket in the early age group,바카라 he said.
Himself known for his delightful cover drivers, Bell thinks Virat Kohli plays his favourite shot the best among his peers.
바카라It's very hard to look past Virat Kohli, that is for sure. Not just his cover drive, but the way he plays, his desire for batting, his desire actually in competition and how he goes about his cricket.
바카라When he plays his cover drive, whatever format of the game, it's a good one to watch. You know, my kids who love cricket, I certainly get them watching as much cricket from Virat Kohli as possible,바카라 he said.
Bell added the likes of Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts have huge shoes to fill following the retirement of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
바카라It's very difficult for any players to come in and emulate straight away what Broad-Anderson have done for England for such a long time,바카라 he said.
바카라It's probably very similar to when (Shane) Warne and (Glenn) McGrath finished at the same time for Australia. It took a little bit of time for Australia to adapt and adjust.
바카라It바카라s unfair for anyone who's to follow in those shoes to be seen in the same way. Hopefully people don't get too hard on them too much,바카라 he added.
