Joe Root is all set and excited to play his first-ever season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Rajasthan Royals this year.
ALSO READ
Speaking ahead of a practice session on Tuesday, the 32-year-old spoke about his new team: “It’s a real family environment. Everyone seems to want to create that feel around things that it’s more than just performances on the field. It’s been a very warm welcome from the very first call, they said they were delighted to get me in the auction and I’m really looking forward to catching up further down the line.”
He added that he feels very much a part of things already and that he is being well looked after, which will help him excel on the field.
Root is excited about the season and said, “It’s an experience that you can’t replicate anywhere else in the world.” He is looking forward to living it now and believes that the fact that the Royals are coming back to Jaipur and connecting with the fans and the city again will make it a very special year.
Speaking of the Royals’ team, Root said, “Last year was an exceptional year for the franchise and I’ve always enjoyed watching Sanju (Samson) play.”
He named Riyan Parag as a player who he’s excited to see play and said, “He played some important innings last year at a very young age, but I think he is quite mature as a player.”
Root also expressed his excitement to work with Ashwin, who he believes is a match-winner.
Root is working on being consistent and ensuring that his strengths are as good as they possibly can be.
“I’m just trying to be as consistent as I can be. You can always work on things slowly and in the background but ultimately you are trying to make sure that your strengths are as good as they possibly can be. And that you know you’re switched on and ready for any situation and scenario that you find yourself in and you have that clarity under pressure.”
He plans to be himself and try to be unpredictable for bowlers.
“I’ll try and be me as much as I can and try to be unpredictable for bowlers. I am sure I will smile and enjoy it, and will try to get the best out of myself. And hopefully, that will mean that the loyal fans of the Royals will have something to cheer about,” he added.
Root hopes that he can get the best out of himself and give something for the loyal fans of the Royals to cheer about.
Rajasthan Royals will play their IPL 2023 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on double-header Sunday on April 2 at Hyderabad.
2023 Rajasthan Royals IPL Schedule Squad:
Sanju Samson (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Joe Root, Abdul Basith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Jos Buttler, Donavon Ferreira, Dhruv Jurel, Murugan Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vasisht, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa and Kunal Singh Rathore
Get every cricket update! Follow us on
