Joe Root’s century in Brisbane on Thursday, the first of his successful career in Australia, puts an end to any remaining discussion about whether or not he is a titan of the sport.
In the all-time Test run-scoring records, only Sachin Tendulkar is higher than Root, and the 34-year-old Englishman seems to be within reach of the retired Indian legend’s total of 15,921 runs.
Prior to the current trip, Root’s return of 892 runs at an average of 35.68 in 14 Test matches in Australia was commendable, and his absence of a Test century Down Under was not a major concern for his many admirers.
However, some critics claimed that he had to cross his last frontier—against England’s fiercest foes in their own country.
Root needed to break his duck in order to be regarded as a “all-time great” alongside Indian Virat Kohli, Australian Steve Smith, and New Zealander Kane Williamson, according to Darren Lehmann, Australia’s coach during their 5-0 victory in the 2013–14 Ashes series.
On the opening day of the second Test, he achieved his 40th Test century off 181 balls at the Gabba.
The graceful Root, an orthodox “touch” player who doesn’t need to smash the ball around to score rapidly, is a throwback to an earlier age of batting. He was praised as “England’s greatest” and a “genius” by former England captain Alastair Cook after he broke his personal record of 33 Test hundreds for England last year.
He is “England’s generational talent” with the bat, according to Nasser Hussain, another former captain.
Root followed Michael Vaughan into the Yorkshire first team while playing for the same Sheffield Collegiate club as the former England captain.
When Root joined the England team in 2012, former England spinner Graeme Swann compared the baby-faced batter to a team mascot. However, Root took most of the opportunity, scoring a patient 73 from 229 balls against India in the last Test of the series in Nagpur.
The following year, at his home stadium at Headingley, he struck his first Test century against New Zealand. Two months later, he made 180, his first Ashes century, at Lord’s.
Root was benched for the fifth Test in Sydney after his form declined during the 2013–14 Ashes tour of Australia, which ended in a 0-5 whitewash for England.
However, he replied spectacularly back home, scoring two hundreds against India and a double hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.
Despite occasional, now mostly forgotten worries about his conversion rate—the amount of times a batsman achieves hundreds after reaching fifty—the Yorkshireman has continuously scored runs.
Cook, the only other England batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs, was replaced as captain in 2017 by Root, who has also claimed 73 Test wickets with his spin bowling. Despite leading a faltering squad, he went on to lead England in more Test matches (64) and victories (27) than any previous captain.
During his tenure as captain, he upheld his own batting standards, most notably in 2021 when he won Test Cricketer of the Year with 1,708 runs at an average of 61. After just one victory in 17 games, Root’s time as captain came to an end in April 2022 when Ben Stokes took over.
After being relieved of the captaincy, the former captain has consistently reached three figures, demonstrating his indispensability under Stokes. In the ultra-attacking “Bazball” era under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, Root has periodically lost control while experimenting with a riskier style.
However, he has mostly played his own game and has a unique ability to keep the scoreboard moving by playing in a traditional, comparatively risk-free manner.
Root is still a mainstay of England’s one-day squad and has a Test batting average of over 50, which is the mark of an all-time great.
Although he still has a long way to go to catch Tendulkar, few would question his drive and ability to finish his career right at the top.
