Ashes 2013: Joe Root similar to Alastair Cook, says Graham Gooch

Graham Gooch believes Joe Root bears similarities to England captain Alastair Cook after the young batsman’s heroics in the second Ashes Test win at Lord’s.

The 22-year-old posted a second innings score of 178 to help the hosts move out of reach of Australia and win by 347 runs to claim a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.

Root, who made his England Test bow in India in December, also took two wickets in his role as part-time spinner to cap off a man-of-the-match performance.

And England batting coach Gooch reckons Root’s mentality is similar to that of his fellow opener Cook, who also impressed from a very young age.

“They are both mature for young men, and Alastair Cook had a similar mentality when he was Joe’s age,” Gooch told the ECB’s website.

“He was mature in the mind – he knew exactly how he could score runs – and I think anyone who saw Joe saw that too.

“When he was suddenly promoted to the side, he walked straight in, and you’d have thought he’d been playing this sort of game the whole time.”

Gooch added that he is unsurprised by the Yorkshire youngster’s meteoric rise in English cricket following his performances during the historic series win in India.

“Every player wants to improve themselves, but generally in a coach-player relationship the player’s the master,” Gooch added.

“You offer observations as a coach and ideas and advice, but if it’s a two-way thing … the player is keen to receive information and is actually seeking knowledge … you’re more likely to make some progress.

“Joe, from the first time we saw him in India, was an impressive young character. I’m not surprised at all that he’s moving forward with his skill levels, the way he works at his game and all the disciplines that are in place.”