Joe Root’ Record Century in 4th India Test Draws Praise from AB de Villiers and Michael Vaughan

Joe Root Record Century in 4th India Test Draws Praise from AB de Villiers and Michael Vaughan

A lot of attention has been paid to Joe Root’s performance in the current five-match Test series against India and whether or not he was unable to adapt to England’s adoption of the Bazball age of cricket. Root, considered one of the Fab Four batters of the contemporary era and always the most dangerous batsman in the England lineup, scored just 77 runs in the first six innings of the series. He did not even register a half-century strike. During this stretch, his shot choice was heavily criticized as well. AB de Villiers and Michael Vaughan, two former cricket players, noticed Root’s impressive recovery on Friday in the fourth Test match against India in Ranchi when he struck a calm century.

Root likes to play both in and against India. With 1118 runs in all, he has scored more than any other player outside of England. He had scored 491 runs in five games against India back in 2016. But Root struggled during his first trip to India under the Baseball regime, particularly when it came to going the aggressive path against the Indian bowling attack. The criticism peaked last week during the third Test match in Rajkot when he misplayed a ball from Jasprit Bumrah, sending it straight to the fielder at slip.

Rebounding from all the discussion about his form, Root achieved his first century on Friday, leading England’s innings on Day 1 of the fourth Test when they scored 282 for seven. Root was playing his more natural style against an Indian attack without Bumrah. Vaughan and De Villiers saw the knock right away and praised Root for scoring a cool century against India, which is still the highest he has ever achieved against one team. Additionally, he eclipsed former Australian cricketer Steve Smith to record the most by any player against India in Test cricket.

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“You can win test matches with this Joe Root mode! In glue mode. Pass the bazz ball to the others. Excellent beginning from India. Well done, Eng. The South African icon tweeted, “Setting up for a good Test match,” and Vaughan added, “Lovely to see Common Sense Ball.” In addition to hitting his 31st career century, Root also achieved his 20th fifty-plus against India, tying the record held by the great Ricky Ponting. Day 1 ended with England at 302/7 at Stumps, with Joe Root remaining undefeated on 106 off 226 deliveries and hitting nine fours in his innings thus far.