Joe Root led England's stunning comeback with an unbeaten century on Day 1 of the fourth Test match against India on Friday. The veteran ended his poor run of form with his 31st Test century as England posted 302/7 at the end of the opening day in the Ranchi Test.
Trailing the series 1-2, England struggled to find any positives in the first session as Indian bowlers dominated the game with five wickets before lunch. But Root displayed his best with the traditional approach to his innings after lunch adding 113 runs for the sixth wicket with Ben Foakes that boosted England to a dominant total.
Root failed to cross 30-plus scores in his first six innings in the ongoing series, drawing sharp criticism from the media back at home in England. Root's dismissal while playing a reverse scoop shot in the last match drew further irks from cricket experts.
But the 33-year-old batter silenced his critics by smashing 106* off 226 balls where his teammates failed to find ground. Opener Zak Crawley, who smashed 42 off 42, praised Root's comeback century and revealed that his team never doubted the former captain.
Crawley also added that Root's innings' came when England needed it most and in a tough situation.
"We never doubted Joe, we just think if he gets couple of lowies, he's even more due than before, so we fully expected him to go out and get runs in this game," Crawley said after Day 1's play. "He deserves everything he gets, he works so hard at his game and he always comes good.
"He's probably the only bloke in our team who could have done that knock; he's that good, he's our best player and he's stepped up when we needed him to. We needed him to get a score, and he got a score like he's done for so many years now. He's just a phenomenal player, one of the best - if not the best - player we've ever had for England."
