IND vs ENG: Story Behind Joe Root Developing Wrists Of Magic To Master Spin (Special)

Former Pakistan spinner Nadeem Khan has a habit of causing heartbreak to Indian fans without grabbing the limelight. The man who famously ran out Sachin Tendulkar during an Asian Test Championship mat

"He plays very differently from other England batsmen; he maneuvers a lot, plays with wrists, and that is why he is successful against spinners. Asian batsmen play with wrists and with the turn, and against the turn also; they play with the wrists. Root plays like that. [As I said] that developed early because the basic reason was that he came into the first team at a very young age. His scoring options were only the ones with which he could maneuver," says Nadeem, who has seen him score plenty of 150-plus scores for his club against top teams and also against his club after he shifted to Yorkshire cricket academy for a couple of years.

"Also, we had pitched, especially at our club, that aided turn. On such pitches, he had to maneuver. That is why he developed the sweep shot, and also he plays very well through extra cover. Against the spin, you have to find gaps, so he developed the sweep shot," he said.

Nadeem pointed out that 30-year-old Root, who played his 100th Test in Chennai, had done plenty of practice that has paid off.

"He used to do hours and hours of practice. He developed that at a very young age. We were close. I taught him the basics and then other coaches taught him further," he said.

Nadeem also said that Root was identified as a future England leader as early as 17 at Yorkshire because of his dedication, focus, discipline. It helped that his father was a cricketer.

"He was dedicated, had great focus right from the start, and technically he was very sound. That is why everyone was saying he will one day play for England. At the age of 17, people at Yorkshire said he would be the future England captain. One of the reasons was his awareness of the game. His father, Matthew Root, plays for Nottinghamshire second XI. Young brother Billy also played cricket. That helped," he said.

"Secondly, Root was always fond of discussing cricket right from an early age. I remember he would come to my restaurant and we would discuss cricket at length. His growth and grooming have been like this. He was disciplined. There were never any complaints of indiscipline against him. All these things contributed to him getting into leadership roles and the England Cricket Board investing in him," said Nadeem, who used to run a restaurant in England before returning to Pakistan 10 years ago.

Nadeem cited an example of how Root would take every aspect of his cricket seriously and seek to learn. During his under-19 days, one day Root called up Nadeem for help ahead of England colts' match against Bangladesh. The England under-19 coach had said that he would be required to bowl off-spin.

"He called up and we practiced. We discussed setting fields, create changes, etc. I think he picked a couple of wickets or so."