Charles Tyrwhitt ambassador Joe Root reflects on his recent experience in the Indian Premier League…
Since making his debut against India in 2012, Joe Root has become the backbone of England’s Test line-up. His career has gone from strength to strength and he’s widely acknowledged as one of the modern era’s finest batsmen.
Prior to a gripping Ashes summer, Root was sharpening his skills playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). That’s where Men’s Fitness caught up with him to discuss his IPL experience.
It soon became evident that the former England captain uses every opportunity – whether playing in the IPL or watching from the side-lines – to seek out improvements to his game via the wisdom of team-mates and opponents. ‘You never stop learning’ is the mantra for the man who’s now surpassed an extraordinary 11,000 Test runs…
RELATED: Joe Root talks cricket fitness
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Men’s Fitness: How was your first experience of playing in the IPL and how do you feel it benefitted you as a player?
Joe Root: It’s difficult not to benefit when you’re surrounded by so many brilliant players in the game. There’s so much to learn and take from it. Just the exposure to people that you would never normally get the opportunity to work with, as well as those I’m spending a lot of time playing against.
I’m getting to tap into players with years of experience and success; getting to talk to them and pick their brains on how they see the game, how they played it themselves, what worked for them, what didn’t, and see if there’s anything that I can add to my game.
MF: You probably didn’t play as much cricket as you’d like, but did you still find it a worthwhile experience?
JR: I used the time to learn and develop as a player. We are back there [in India] for the World Cup in less than six months, so it’s been useful to get used to these conditions and to learn about how the ball might react on the surfaces here.
MF: Was it difficult to keep on top of your nutrition being away from home for so long?
JR: When I first started playing, I didn’t really pay any attention to nutrition. For me, cricket was a skill-based game where you’re judged on how many runs you scored or wickets you took. But when I look back at my career there were a lot of occasions where I would start a series and I’d make big scores and then I’d drop off throughout the summer.
Now, I work on feeling fresh physically and mentally throughout the season. That includes nutrition. There’s been a big focus on that in recent years with England. We’ve worked closely with a nutritionist, and we take a chef overseas now too. We still enjoy experiencing the culture and the food – and the odd cold beer. But in order to be out in the field for two long, hot days in India or Sri Lanka, you need the right fuelling.
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