ROOT MASTER
Joe’s 11th Test ton – his first on subcontinent – proves he’s now the complete batsman
JOE ROOT took another giant step on his journey to cricketing greatness with his first ton on the subcontinent to cap England’s perfect start to the Test series in India.
Their vice-captain is already rightly regarded as the best batsman in the side, and as he teased the Indian bowlers around the Rajkot outfield for his 11th Test hundred it was easy to see why.
Alastair Cook might have more runs, Ben Stokes might hit the ball further, and Moeen Ali might have more style, but Root is the complete package as India are only too well aware.
Together with Ali they added 179 for the fourth wicket as England ended day one 311-4.
And while the rest of the world was in Trump-inspired turmoil, there was something serene and comforting about Root’s progress alongside Ali, who started this morning’s session on 99 not out.
Root averages 110 in the first innings of a series since his recall in 2014, and said: “On a personal note to start this series well is really pleasing and hopefully it can give me a lot of confidence for the rest of it.
“It was important to set a marker and to take advantage of a pretty good pitch which might change. It was also important to start well and I thought the way me and Moeen played – without blowing my own trumpet – was really good.
“Out here and in Dubai I felt like I made starts but I need to make big runs so it is nice to do that at the start of the series. It was a very satisfying innings.
“The pressure is always there. When you’re a senior batter in a side you are expected to score runs and you just have to get on with it and deal with it.
“I’ve made a habit of getting out between 50 and a hundred so to go on is great.”
One good day doesn’t a series win make, but considering England’s last Test against Bangladesh and the havoc wreaked by spin, this was an ideal tonic. There was a little confusion about Root’s dismissal when Umesh Yadav threw the ball up in celebration at his caught and bowled effort only to see it hit the turf in horror. He claimed the ball was already under his control and the TV umpire agreed, but he was more than a little bit lucky to get away with it, especially after his team-mates had put down three other chances before lunch. Root added: “I was so disgusted with the shot that I didn’t really see what happened. “But having seen the slow-mo replay it does look out, although when speeded up it does look strange. “I was lucky with an umpire’s call earlier on so you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes.” With an extra life Haseeb Hameed went on to score 31 and make an encouraging start to life as a Test cricketer displaying the calm, unflustered approach that has marked him out at such a young age. He put on 47 with Cook and 29 with Root, who was suitably impressed. “I thought that he moved his feet beautifully,” said Root, who also passed 1,000 runs for the calendar year. “He looked calm and in control everything he did – which is really pleasing for a 19-year-old on debut in difficult conditions against one of the best sides in the world.”