Doubled the number of Test centuries in four years, beat 3 batsmen of Fab 4, now Yusuf’s great record is in danger

New Delhi. England batsman Joe Root is going through a golden phase at the moment. Runs are pouring from his/her bat at this time. In the current three-Test series against Sri Lanka, Root has so far scored 350 runs (highest 143 runs) in two Test matches at a huge average of 116.66, which includes two centuries and a half-century. his/her batting has played an important role in helping the host England team win both the Tests of the series. The third Test is to be held at the Oval from September 6 and the biggest challenge before the Sri Lankan team is to get Root out quickly to avoid a clean sweep.

Currently, four strong players in Test cricket – England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and India’s Virat Kohli are the pillars of their respective teams. This quartet has been named Fabulous 4 or Fab 4. There is a tough competition among these four to become the top performer of the ‘Fab 4’, but at present, the shine of the other three batsmen is fading in front of Root’s ‘dazzling’. Since 2021, Root has left these three behind with his/her ‘Midas Touch’.

Root has scored 17 centuries since 2021
The way Root has ‘rushed’ in terms of scoring runs and centuries since January 2021 is commendable. Till 2020, Root had the least number of centuries (17) among the four batsmen of Fab 4. Till 2020, Kohli had scored 27, Smith 26 and Williamson 23 centuries, but by scoring 17 centuries from January 2021 to August 2024, Root has come out on top with 34 centuries. Williamson and Smith are currently closest to Root with 32 centuries each, while Kohli has scored 29 centuries.

Joe Root’s 17 Test centuries from 1 January 2021 to August 2024
228 runs vs Sri Lanka (Galle)
186 runs vs Sri Lanka (Galle)
218 runs vs India (Chennai)
109 runs vs India (Nottingham)
180* runs vs India (Lord’s)
121 runs vs India (Leeds)
109 vs West Indies (North Sound)
153 vs West Indies (Bridgetown)
115* runs vs New Zealand (Lord’s)
176 runs vs New Zealand (Nottingham)
142* runs vs India (Birmingham)
153* runs vs New Zealand (Wellington)
118* runs vs Australia (Birmingham)
122* runs vs India (Ranchi)
122 runs vs West Indies (Nottingham)
143 runs vs Sri Lanka (Lord’s)
103 runs vs Sri Lanka (Lord’s)

Who bowled the most no-balls in a Test match? The list also includes great bowlers from Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The highest run scorer for England
After a brilliant performance in the Sri Lanka series, Root has become the batsman to score the most centuries for England. he/she has left Alistair Cook (33 centuries) behind in this race. 33-year-old Root has so far scored 12377 runs with the help of 34 centuries in 145 Tests. he/she is behind only Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Alistair Cook and Kumar Sangakkara in terms of runs. Looking at the current form, it is believed that if any batsman can break Sachin’s record of 15 thousand 921 Test runs in the future, then it is Root. In the overall Test runs race, Steve Smith (9685 runs in 109 matches, average 56.97), Virat Kohli (8848 runs in 113 matches, average 49.15) and Kane Williamson (8743 runs in 100 matches, average 54.98) are far behind Root.

This father-son duo used to bat at a turtle’s speed, made two special records in Test cricket

Top Batsman in World Test Championship 2023-25
Root is currently the highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship 2023-25. In WTC 2023-25, this stylish batsman has so far scored 1373 runs (average 57.20) in 27 innings of 15 matches, remaining unbeaten three times, including 5 centuries and 6 half-centuries. In this case, Steve Smith (738 runs in 12 matches at an average of 35.14 and with the help of a century), Williamson (619 runs in 6 matches at an average of 56.27 and with the help of 4 centuries) and Kohli (369 runs in 4 matches at an average of 61.50 and with the help of a century) are nowhere near. It is true that Williamson and Kohli have a good run average during this period, but despite playing more than twice the number of matches than these two, Root has maintained consistency in batting. Williamson has not played many Tests this season due to injury and Kohli due to family reasons.

Saw Brian Lara’s 501 run innings on the field and Hanif’s 499 as well, played cricket for England

Yousuf has a chance to break the great record

If Root continues his/her golden period of batting this year, he/she can surpass the record of Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf (old name Yousuf Yohana) for scoring the most runs in a calendar year. Yousuf (Mohammad Yousuf) scored the highest 1788 runs (9 centuries) in 11 Tests in 2016 at an average of 99.93. Root has scored 961 runs in 10 Tests so far this year, he/she still has to play 7 more Tests in 2024, if he/she is successful in scoring 828 runs, he/she can make Yousuf’s record in his/her name. However, for this he/she will have to maintain his/her current level of performance. Let us tell you, after playing the Oval Test against Sri Lanka, the England team has to tour Pakistan for three Tests, while New Zealand will tour England for a series of the same number of Tests.

tag: england vs sri lanka, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, steve smith, Test cricket, Virat Kohli