Root looked set to occupy that role for many years to come, but his fortunes dipped as the series went on and then crashed along with the team as England were whitewashed in Australia in 2013-14. His rise continued with a maiden Test hundred in his home ground, Headingley, against New Zealand in 2013 followed by a maiden Ashes century at Lord's having been promoted to open. He began with England's sixth-longest debut innings in terms of balls faced, scoring 73 from 229 balls as he displayed the patience and discrimination demanded both by the situation of the game and a desperately slow surface. Picked to tour India on the strength of two encouraging seasons with Yorkshire - and having been named Cricket Writers' Club Young Player of the Year - he impressed enough to be selected for the final Test of the series. Root's Test debut for England in Nagpur in 2012 exemplified the qualities which had attracted coaches from an early age. Others saw some of his mentor Michael Vaughan in Root's front-foot drive - the pair also both attended Sheffield Collegiate. A slender batsman reliant on precision, his patience and stubbornness at the crease had Geoffrey Boycott gushing that he reminded him of himself, although Root soon developed a much broader range. Root had never been a strikingly heavy scorer as he worked through the ranks, nor was he particularly athletic, but his systematic approach was that of a young batsman who would not sell his wicket easily and gave England hope that he would be able to attune his game to the highest level. He was equally influential in limited-overs cricket where England's commitment to fearless cricket after their 2015 World Cup was much to his tastes, his crispness of stroke and shrewd judgment enabling him to bat purposefully around batsmen of greater weight of shot. Early expectations that he would establish himself as an opener did not materialise as an expansive game increasingly seemed better suited to No. Slight of build, perky of shot and with a scampish grin that got under a bowler's skin, by the time Root was appointed Test captain he had rattled up 53 Tests within five years with an average top side of 50, comfortably the highest among contemporary England players. He was rare among England batsmen in achieving maturity so quickly, and had looked consumed by the delights of batting from the moment he first took guard. It was understandable that there were a few fears for Root's future workload. The accolade everybody anticipated became his three years later, when Alastair Cook stood down after the 2016-17 tour of India. That Joe Root would one day captain England was taken as read when he hit the grand old age of 23.
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