Merseyside Cricket Online: Root hits new heights as relentless England leave India out of ideas

Joe Root on his way to 150 at Emirates Old Trafford today
(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

England fans have a saying about Joe Root, that “you look up and suddenly he’s on 30”. 

It speaks to a number of his qualities: His quiet accumulation, his busy starts, his ability to make the special look so mundane you hardly even bother watching.

Well now when you look up he’s on 13,409, and when he looks up he sees only Sachin Tendulkar above him on the list of Test cricket’s highest scorers of all time.

He may never have carried the dreams of a billion, like Tendulkar, or produced numbers which turned the game on its head, like Bradman. 

Nor is he necessarily the equal of Sobers, Hammond or any of the other greats of the past. Comparison between eras is rarely meaningful.

But since Root made his debut in 2012, nobody has done it better.

His 38th Test century may not have been quite his smoothest, but it was among the most statistically loaded, taking him past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting on the all-time runs chart and level with Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place for tons.

When he reached 120 with yet another back-foot glide off Anshul Kamboj just before tea today (FRI), he passed Ponting and became the first English batter to sit second in the all-time table since Allan Border pushed a (presumably grumbling) Geoff Boycott down to third on August 11, 1989.

More importantly, his 150 also consolidated England’s grip on the fourth Test, as they closed day three on 544/7. 

An unassailable 3-1 lead in the series is not a foregone conclusion but with a first innings lead of 186 and power to add, it is within sight.

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At times during Root’s stand of 142 with his captain, Ben Stokes, India looked beaten already. Their best seamers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, both spent time off the field with injuries and their backups, Kamboj and Shardul Thakur, looked mainly toothless.

Stokes’ first half-century of the summer played a significant part in what looks likely to be his best series result yet as captain. 

The one sour note of the day for England came when the captain had to retire hurt with cramp on 66, having hurt himself reverse-sweeping Washington Sundar through cover (possibly the most Bazball injury imaginable).

Washington, ignored for too long by Shubman Gill, was the pick of India’s bowlers. He broke Root and Ollie Pope’s stand of 144 just after lunch, then drew a skittish Harry Brook out of his crease shortly afterwards.

But by then England were almost level, with Root having shaken off some early nerves to begin ticking off the milestones.

He moved into the 90s with a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja, persuading Gill to finally take the new ball more than 10 overs after it was due, with England 380/4. 

It made an immediate impact on Stokes’ box, struck for the second time in as many games, but not on the wickets column.

Stokes kept up the scoring as Root became beached on 98 then, finally, tickled Kamboj to fine leg for his 38th Test century, only his second at Emirates Old Trafford after his 254 against Pakistan in 2016.

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The shadows were lengthening by the time Jadeja eventually removed him, stumped smartly off one which spun past a weary forward push, with England 499/5 and 141 ahead.

Bumrah took his first wicket with the first ball of his 24th over, Jamie Smith edging to Jurel, and Siraj castled Chris Woakes with one which kept low – he turned to face the other Old Trafford and celebrated in the style of Cristiano Ronaldo, which is a bold move when you’ve taken 1/105 and your team are 170 behind.

To the delight of the England fans, Stokes reappeared to join Liam Dawson at the crease – the pair will resume tomorrow (SAT) on 77 and 21.

Two years ago, in an Emirates Old Trafford Test which followed a similar pattern to this one, England were denied a win over Australia by the weather. 

There are a few showers on the radar – India need them to turn into something bigger, or the series looks like it is heading England’s way.

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/kJD3Tez