India vs England, 1st Test: Joe Root smashes 20th century
What's the story
England skipper Joe Root smashed a defining century against Team India on Day 1 of the first Test in Chennai. The senior batsman was at his absolute best and played some consistent shots throughout his innings. The positive approach helped Root, who has continued to enjoy batting in Asian conditions. Notably, this is Root's 100th career Test match as well.
Root
Root has centuries in three successive Test matches
Root has been amongst the runs of late. Against Sri Lanka, he got scores of 228, 1, 186, and 11 to show his mettle. And now, he has smashed a ton in his third successive Test match. Root was superb today and has shared an unbeaten 150-plus stand alongside Dominic Sibley. He also struck 12 fours in a brilliant knock.
Information
Root surpasses 1,500 runs against India in Tests
Root has surpassed the 1,500-run mark against India in Test cricket. This was his fifth Test ton against Team India. Root, now has 20 Test centuries under his belt, and has equaled the likes of former England stalwarts Graham Gooch and Ken Barrington (20 each).
The numbers
Root's domination in Asia
After scoring 426 runs against Sri Lanka, Root's average in Asia shot up to 50+. He has surpassed 1,700 runs in Asia and is next to only Alastair Cook's 2,710 for England batsmen. This was his fifth century on Asian soil. As per ESPNCricinfo, Root has become the second batsman after Cook to score 1,400-plus runs against spinners in Asia.
Records
Root smashes these records
As per Opta, Root, who has now hit a century in three successive Tests, is only behind Ken Barrington, who managed a longer run for England (4 in a row on two occasions). Root has become the eighth player from outside Asia to score a century in three successive Test matches in Asia. The last to do so was Cook (2012).
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Ninth batsman to hit a ton in 100th Test
Notably, Root has become the ninth batsman in world cricket to score a century in the 100th Test match. He joins the likes of Colin Cowdrey, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Alec Stewart. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Ricky Ponting (2 X 100s), Graeme Smith, and Hashim Amla.
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Other notable stats scripted by Root
This was Root's ninth Test century outside England. He now has two Test tons in India. This was his third century in this calendar year (2021). He has raced to nine Test centuries as captain.