Ben Stokes Left 'Gutted' After Australian Media Targeted Joe Root Ahead Of The Ashes Tests

England captain Ben Stokes was upset after the Australian media had targeted Joe Root in their tabloid. Stokes had been the earlier focus of the newspaper publication, but the sudden pivot towards a prolific English batter like Root came out of the blue.

With the Ashes series closing in, the Australian press has begun with their mind games by targeting specific players. They had fired off criticism at England captain Ben Stokes upon his arrival in Perth. The West Australian had labelled him as "England's Cocky Captain Complainer" and also slammed the team's bazball approach.

Ben Stokes Reacts To Joe Root Being Targeted By Aussie Media

The Australian media continued their psychological warfare and targeted Joe Root when he arrived in Australia to join the England camp. The West Australian put up a searing front-page publish on their weekly tabloid that read, 'Average Joe.' They also labelled him a 'pretender in Australia.'

Ben Stokes had revealed that he was gutted after the Aussie media targeted Joe Root in such a way. But he admitted that such things were expected from their side.

"I was gutted when they decided to focus on Joe (Root) when he got out here, because I was waiting for the morning and was quite looking forward to what the next front page was about me. But look, it's fully expected.

I think one thing that we've been very conscious of, especially the guys who have done this tour before that it's not just the cricket side that there is to sort of focus on and take into consideration," Joe Root said during an interview with England Cricket.

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Why Was Joe Root Trolled Upon His Arrival in Australia?

Joe Root has picked up significant milestones and continues to climb up the ante. He had become the second-highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket and is now chasing Sachin Tendulkar's coveted record. The English batter eclipsed legends like Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to attain the monumental feat.

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However, Joe Root has never scored a century on Australian soil. The highest score he has picked up was 89 during the 2021 Ashes in Brisbane.

However, Root would be optimistic as England tours Australia for The Ashes. It would be an ideal chance to get the monkey off his shoulder.