England captain Joe Root on Friday became the 15th cricketer from the country to represent the national side in 100 Test matches.
England captain Joe Root on Friday became the 15th English cricketer to appear in 100 Tests for the national side. He reached the mark as England take the field against India in the first of four Tests in Chennai.
Incidentally, Root made his Test debut against India in India in 2012. He has since scored 8,249 runs in Test cricket at an impressive average of 49.39. This include 19 centuries and 49 half-centuries.
Root is the fourth-highest Test scorer for England in their history; only behind former captain Alastair Cook (12,472 runs), Graham Gooch (8,900 runs) and Alec Stewart (8,463 runs). The English captain has played the lowest number of games among the top-10 run-getters for England in Test cricket.
In his debut series, England registered an incredible 2-1 victory over India, ending a 28-year wait to win a Test series on Indian soil. Root played a gritty knock of 73 runs in his debut game in Nagpur. Now, the England captain is aiming to become the only fourth post-war England captain (after Tony Greig, David Gower and Alastair Cook) to win a Test series in India.
Recalling his debut, he said in an interview with ECB on Thursday that it was a ‘surreal’ moment to share the field with the likes of MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar.
"I just couldn't stop smiling. I look around the field and Dhoni is behind the stumps, Sachin Tendulkar is on the field as well, who I think made his debut before I was even born!" Root had said. “"It was a really strange, surreal week really, and something I will always remember fondly."
Root became the captain of the English Test team in 2017, and has since led the side in 46 matches, winning 25 and losing 15, while six ending in a draw. Among eight Englishmen who led the side in more than 40 Tests, Root has the best winning percentage (54.34).
Overall, Alastair Cook has played the most number of Tests for England as captain (59).
England will take on India in four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs. While the first two Tests take place in Chennai, the remaining two are scheduled at the revamped Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
