England skipper Joe Root on Friday joined an elite list of players that include the likes of Pakistan great Javed Miandad and former West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharran by scoring a seventh successive fifty-plus scores against India in the sub-continent.
The century that he hit on Friday in his 100th Test match is the seventh consecutive fifty-plus score in a list that starts from 2012.
Only Pakistan’s Javed Miandad has hit more successive fifty-plus scores against India. He has 8 scores of fifty or more in the country from a period that stretches from 1980 to 1987. West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharran has 7 such scores from 1974-1979.
What a year 2021 has been for the England skipper Joe Root already as he hit his third consecutive century on Friday against an Indian bowling line-up that just did not know how to trouble the batsman.
He had earlier scored 228 and 186 against Sri Lanka at Galle in the two Tests that he played before coming to India.
On Friday, he also troubled the hosts by stitching together a 200-run stand with opener Dominic Sibley (87) to put England in command against India on the first day of the opening Test at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The visitors ended Day 1 of the first Test at 263/3 and Root said that it was special to be playing his 100th Test match and score runs in it, but added that what matters now is to be able to get a result in this game.
“It is really special right now but it will mean a lot more if we can get a result out of this game, and there is still plenty of cricket left to be played in this game.
“But it obviously is a treat to be in my 100th game and to be able to get some runs in it is very special in itself. So hopefully there is plenty more to come and this could contribute to a pretty substantial first innings total,” Root said at the end of Day 1.
Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar Takes Strong Stand On Rihanna, says ‘India’s sovereignty cannot be compromised’
