In the first match of the day, England captain Joe Root takes on India’s spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin. Jonny Bairstow is also in action for England at the Lord’s ground.
Despite his impressive form, England captain Joe Root, according to teammate Bairstow, Jonny, can improve even more.
On the third day of the second Test against India at Lord’s, Root scored a brilliant 180 not out, his second century in eight days.
In the year 2021, it was his sixth Test century. Only Denis Compton and Michael Vaughan have scored six times for England in a calendar year.
“He’s just 30, and he’s a young man. He hasn’t reached his full potential yet “Sport spoke with Bairstow.
“It’s very exciting, and seeing how far he can go for English cricket is fantastic.”
With two days left, the game is tantalisingly poised, thanks to Root’s magnificent performance, which led England reach 391 all out, a 27-run advantage.
He just missed out on being the first England player to score three double hundreds in a calendar year when he ran out of partners.
“A heck of a lot, like he does to English cricket,” Bairstow replied when asked what Root meant to the England squad.
What was Root’s batting average?
Mark Ramprakash, a former England batsman, remarked on Test Match Special, “He looked fluent from the outset.” “He’s a fantastic player.” He’s just gotten back from Trent Bridge.
“He’s having a fantastic run of form right now. He seems to have added a mental component to his game, where he has become very vicious.”
Root’s 180 was hailed as a “great, well-controlled innings” by cricket journalist Jonathan Agnew, who added, “He received a pat on the back from several of the Indians.”
TMS commentator Simon Mann said: “It was a masterclass. It has been another brilliant exhibition on a Saturday afternoon.”
Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, said: “Joe Root is the focus once again. What a year it’s been for him.”
Deep Dasgupta, a former India wicketkeeper, summed it up best: “He’s unstoppable.”
Root’s major achievements
In this game alone, Root has amassed a number of milestones…
- He overtook Graham Gooch for second place on the England all-time record with 8,900 Test runs, behind Alastair Cook’s 12,472.
- He became the second youngest player to 9,000 Test runs, behind Cook, at the age of 30 years and 227 days.
- He became the 22nd player to hit a century in a Test match. For England, only Cook (33) and Kevin Pietersen (23) have more.
- He scored his 11th 150-plus score, tying Cook for the most among England batters.
- In 2021, he became the second person to reach 150 in a calendar year, behind only Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf.
Root’s form is so outstanding that he’s scored more centuries in 2021 than whole teams…
- Joe Root (#5)
- 4: India
- New Zealand is number four.
- South Africa is number three.
- West Indies is number three.
‘A one-man army,’ says the narrator.
Root’s magnificent innings drew applause from all corners of the world.
On the first full day of the Premier League season, he drew the attention of the whole football world…
England’s brightest star
Maybe England wouldn’t be looking for their first victory in seven Tests if Root had more backing from his teammates.
| Runs | Average | Centuries | |
| Joe Root | 1,244 | 69.11 | 5 |
| Rory Burns is a British actor. | 364 | 33.00 | 1 |
| Sibley, Dom | 356 | 20.94 | 0 |
| Lawrence, Dan | 354 | 27.23 | 0 |
| Jonny Bairstow | 283 | 28.30 | 0 |
| Cricinfoexternal-link is the source of this information. |
Which raises the issue of how the rest of England’s batters can assist their skipper.
“The other of England’s players should put their bats in Joe Root’s bag and see if any of the enchantment on his bat rubs off on theirs,” Vaughan suggests.
“We used to do that at Yorkshire with Darren Lehmann. He would go around with a bag full of our bats, averaging about 80 each year.”
Whatever happens in the remainder of the game, Bairstow hasn’t ruled out Root, his Yorkshire teammate, scoring a third consecutive century in the third Test, which begins on August 25 at Headingley.
Bairstow, who scored 57 in a 119-run stand, said, “I’m extremely lucky to have spent a fair amount of time with him at the wicket today and over the past 15 years.”
“These are unique times. It’s so much better if you can share it with one of your closest friends.
“It’s a twofer. We’re off to Headingley next, where he might make it three in a row.”
Few would rule that out based on the evidence of the previous week.
