'Very well said...': Ex-Australia coach labels Joe Root as 'superstar', backs him against David Warner's Ashes dig

Despite the Ashes still being months away, the war of words has already began between England and Australia's players. Recently, former Australia cricketer David Warner took a dig on Joe Root's Test record Down Under by stating that Josh Hazlewood has gotten the better of the England batter on many occasions. He had further remarked that Root will need to take the 'surfboard off his front-leg' in order to be successful on Australian pitches. "Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He (Root) will have to take the surfboard off his front leg,” Warner had said.

However, Root dismissed Warner's remarks and said that these type of comments aren't anything new. He further stated that his main focus is on the series and not on the outside noise.

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“Just that. I can’t have any control on how people see the game or talk in interview. Nothing new, is it? You know there are going to be storylines and people wanting to hype up a big series. Doesn’t really change anything. When you get out there you’ve got to try and impact the game and help your team get off to a good start. Business as usual as far as I’m concerned," Root said, speaking on Sky Sports.

Surprisingly, former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has backed Root against Warner's comments and has even labelled the England batter as a 'superstar'. He also predicted Root to score a century in the upcoming Ashes.

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“Very well said, he is a superstar. And so looking forward to the ashes. One of my predictions is [that] he will get a (hundred) in the ashes. Loving the banter," Lehmann commented.

Lehmann was appointed as Australia's head coach in 2013

Lehmann was the Baggy Greens' head coach from 2013 to 2018. Under his guidance, the team won both of their series against England at home without recording a defeat in any match. However, they weren't able to win any of the two Ashes series contested on English soil either. Lehmann reesigned from the role after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

Meanwhile, Ashes 2025/26 is set to commence later this year from November 21. The five-match Test series will be quite important for both the teams as it is expected to make massive changes to the standings on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.