"I am the young man, full of strength and hope"

Note: I wrote this piece, but didn't publish it on 20 February. Since then, Root added 28 not out to complete a straightforward run chase in the final ODI, and contributed scores of 49 and 17 in a losing cause in the warmup game before the Tests begin.

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Today was the day Joe Root came of age. It hasn't taken long. Since making his debut back in December in the final Test of the India series - trusted as the man who would strengthen the batting and ensure England achieved at least the draw they needed to take the series - he has been the quiet achiever of the side. Nothing about how he has gone about his business has attracted great attention, but by stealth he has compiled an extraordinary early record. 

The stat highlighted on Sky this morning, was that he is the first player to ever compile six consecutive scores of 30 or more in his first six international innings. That doesn't quite do it justice. He made 93 in two innings in his first Test. His six innings in seven ODIs have brought him 36, 39, 57*, 31, 56 and today a hugely impressive and surprisingly flamboyant 79* from 56 balls.

I first saw him last summer, in the domestic T20 finals day in England. He looked all at sea opening for Yorkshire. It seemed every attempted shot was a sweep or reverse sweep and scores of 11 and 7 told a slightly sorry tale. I'm not one to judge a young player on one day's work, but I'd also heard he was a red ball specialist, which on the strength of this performance seemed reasonable. Perhaps he would be like the Mark 1 Alastair Cook; a steady accumulator of runs, but not a one day showman. It appears this was mistaken.

It's true, in his first Test match Root showed the discipline, self-denial and judgement that a would-be Test opener needs in challenging conditions. But since then he's also demonstrated real flair and a modern mindset for the game, fitting for one born in the 1990s(!) and raised as a T20 native. You wouldn't peg him as a power hitter anything like Brendan McCullum, who made 74 off 36 balls today, but he still managed to clear the ropes twice, with seven fours to boot. A lofted drive over mid-off spoke to his class, while calculated clips over midwicket were nothing like slogs and he threw in a couple of insolent dilscoops for good measure.

Root is clearly in the sweetest of form and taking every opportunity he's given. He's had the perfect start to his international career and long may it continue. England blooded four other debutant batsmen at Test level last year (Bairstow, Compton, Patel and Taylor) and yet Root is the only one whose place looks secure. The quality of the others highlights his achievement. Given that coach Ashley Giles was experimenting with his lineup and resting some key batsmen, it's hard to see how he will chose his starting XI for the first ODI of the return series at Lord's on May 31.