Joe Root | File Photo
High intensity, series on the line, and you just sold your partner, who was playing as well as ever, down the river. You have just started your innings and are staring at a target never chased. Many players would falter under such pressure. But not the former England Test skipper. Not Joe Root.
He came in, slammed a match-winning hundred turned the entire complexion of the match on its head, took his side home, and reinforced himself as an absolute legend of the game.
Root reached his 28th Test hundred in just 136 deliveries, took the steam out of India’s defence, and made a strong statement – There’s no one better than him in Test cricket right now.
With this innings, Joe Root now has the most number of Test hundreds among the Fab 4. Virat Kohli and Steve Smith stand at 27 each, and Kane Williamson has 24 against his name. He also has nine hundreds against India – more than any other player in the history of Test cricket.
The highlight of the match was not the way he counterattacked, nor it was the way he hit boundaries, which were more than 15 by the way. But, it was the way he milked the Indian bowlers for singles and doubles at will. This is where England won, and this is exactly where India faltered – big time.
A reverse sweep for six off Shardul Thakur reminded everyone that he may be known for his class, but he can also channel his inner Buttler at will. And that just doesn’t make him a modern-day great, that makes him a legend like no other.
Over the years, Root has established himself as the go-to player for England on the test side. Amidst all the losses, the collapses, the changes, one thing remained constant – the runs kept coming for Joe Root.
He was, is, and will always be the calm in the chaos for this English Test side. He is the glue that holds the lineup together, and without him, the side risks losing its very soul.
Earlier during the New Zealand series, Joe Root crossed the coveted 10,000-run landmark and became only the second English player after Sir Alastair Cook to reach there.
Fair to say, he is in a league of his own. The Edgbaston Test vs India was just another instance that proved the worth Joe carries with him in the English Test side.
After all, he is, was, and will always be the calm in the chaos for England.
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