Joe Root joined legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar in an elite list when the Englishman played a game-reviving knock on Day 3 of the fifth Ashes Test, underway at the Oval. Coming to bat at a crucial stage, Root scored 91 runs off 106 balls, helping England reach 395 runs in their second innings. With the brilliant knock, Root rounded off the home Ashes as the second-highest scorer for the hosts, following opener Zak Crawley. In five matches, Root has aggregated a total of 412 runs. This is the 19th time when the English batter has breached the 300-run mark in a red-ball series. Previously, Tendulkar was the only player to score 300-plus runs in a Test series 19 times.
With this exceptional feat, Joe Root also surpassed the likes of Indian legend Rahul Dravid and West Indies great Brian Lara. They have crossed the 300-run mark in a Test series 18 times during their careers. Former English batter Alastair Cook and ex-Australian captain Ricky Ponting are next on the list, achieving the feat 17 times. Thanks to this accomplishment, Root has no doubt solidified his stature as one of the finest Test batters of the present generation.
Joe Root pulled off an impressive start to the home Ashes series. He was England’s star performer with the bat in the opening Test, which they lost by 2 wickets. He played an unbeaten 118-run in the first innings when the other English batters failed to bring out their A-game. He continued the rhythm in the second innings but missed a half-century by just 4 runs. Root’s batting, however, looked quite pale in the following two games. He returned to his iconic form in the fourth Test again and registered a 95-ball 86 during England’s first innings.