Jason Gillespie has hailed Joe Root’s elevation to number one batsman in the world, saying: “The kid’s playing a different game at the moment, and it hasn’t happened by accident.”

Root’s rise was confirmed at the weekend after England’s fourth Test win against Australia at Trent Bridge.

It gave Alastair Cook’s side an unassailable 3-1 lead in a series which concludes at the Oval next week and ensured the Yorkshireman a second Ashes winner’s medal of a Test career which began in late 2012.

The 24-year-old’s international statistics make quite remarkable reading.

He has 2,716 runs from 31 Test matches with eight hundreds to his name, including 443 runs in the ongoing series with two hundreds at an average of 71.79.

The right-hander has also scored 2,076 one-day international runs from 59 matches, including six hundreds, and 251 from ten T20s. He averages above 41 in every form of international cricket.

The most impressive statistic, however, comes in the form of 1,761 runs from 16 Tests at 80.04 since being dropped for the final match of the disastrous Ashes series Down Under at the start of last year.

“The hard work and the effort Rooty puts into his game is phenomenal - his continuous striving for improvement, that thirst to be the best he can and to better himself each and every time he goes into the nets,” said Yorkshire coach Gillespie.

“I’m not surprised to be talking about him being the No1 in the world. He earned the right by virtue of his performances.

“I arrived at Headingley in 2012, and he was an opener. He didn’t have the positive intent he’s acquired over the past couple of seasons. He was a bit more of a dogged opener, and the move to the middle order has freed him up.

“I think a real feature is how quickly he is adapting and learning in all three formats.

“He always asks coaches ‘tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. Give me completely honest feedback, even if it’s something I need to work on’. That’s part of the reason why he learns and adapts so quickly.”