Joe Root was just a year into his Test career when Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement after a 24-year-long odyssey. At the time, the idea of anyone even getting close to his final tally of 15,921 runs and 51 centuries was quite fanciful. In the pink-themed New Year Test in Sydney, Root showed why the runs record is definitely within range, with the centuries mark not implausible either. His marvellous 160 was the cornerstone of England’s 384, and it emphatically put to bed any lingering doubts over his quality in Australia.
Root had not enjoyed one three-figure knock on three previous tours of Australia, spanning 14 Tests. But an accomplished century under lights against the pink ball in Brisbane took the money off his back, though celebrations were muted by another defeat that left England 2-0 down.
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The series, as well as the Ashes, may be lost, but there’s no such thing as a dead rubber when it comes to these two countries. After another poor start, Root and fellow Yorkshireman, Harry Brook, steadied the ship and gave England the advantage on a rain-disrupted day one. But though Brook fell early on Monday, Root carried on serenely, adding 94 with Jamie Smith and 52 with Will Jacks before spooning one up for Michael Neser to take a sensational catch off his own bowling.
Australia responded strongly with a typically belligerent unbeaten 91 from Travis Head, but it was Root that grabbed the headlines with an innings that drew him alongside Ricky Ponting, former Australia captain, on 41 Test centuries. Only Jacques Kallis (45) and Tendulkar have more.
He now needs just 63 runs to get to 14,000 in Tests. What makes Root’s journey even more remarkable is that he hasn’t really struggled in any conditions. He has three centuries apiece in India and Sri Lanka, highlighting how adept he has been with sweeps, reverse-sweeps and other shots designed to throw bowling plans out of gear.
While it took Tendulkar 24 years to get to 200 Tests, Root has already played 163 in a little over half that time. Guaranteed between six and seven Tests each home summer, and with long winter tours of India or Australia now near-certain, Root should get at least another 30 Tests to knock off the 1,985 runs he needs to go past Tendulkar.
Decades ago, an Indian – Sunil Gavaskar – dethroned England and Yorkshire’s Geoff Boycott to become the leading run-scorer in Tests. More than 40 years later, the old empire is poised to strike back.
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