Joe Root: Yorkshireman settling the Fab Four debate on form, centuries

An infographic, featuring the modern ‘Fab Four’ of Test batting five years ago and till date after Joe Root completed his 40^th century on Friday, 5 December, makes for a startling revelation. It reflects the phenomenal consistency of the Yorkshireman, who is threatening to make any debate on the subject an irrelevant one.

 Just ponder this: in July 2020, Virat Kohli led the centurions’ list among the quartet with 27, Steve Smith at 26, Kane Williamson 21 and Root the least at 17. Cut to end-2025, the Englishman is now walking tall with 40 three figure knocks, followed by Smith (36), Williamson (33) and the now retired Kohli (30). If anything, the Australian stands a realistic chance to push Root but the New Zealander’s chances of overhauling the former looks a rather remote one.

 The race for Test centuries, albeit with the subjective chatter of those coming abroad getting higher credit, had been the benchmark to seal the issue. This is where the Indian fans continue to live in denial about Kohli’s prolonged slump in the longer format of the game–- when he just managed three centuries in over five years with a nearly four-year drought between his 27th and 28th centuries.

Root, on the other hand, has hit 23 centuries in five and-a-half years under consideration – which accounts to nearly five per year. There was, of course, this yawning question mark about Root failing to reach the three-figure mark in Australia despite playing Tests there for 12 years till he exorcised the demons with another trouble-shooting act at the pink ball Test at the Gabba.

When the former England captain came in, they were tottering at five for two and remained not out at an unhurried, classy 138 when their first innings ended by the first hour on Friday. A century, which in the words of Root’s illustrious former teammate Sir Alastair Cook, sums it up: “Even Australia will have to admit he's a great now.” Well, it also stops the burly Matthew Hayden of not having to live up to his pledge of having to walk around MCG naked should Root go century-less on this tour also.

 The question in some quarters now is that whether Root, the youngest among those modern greats at 34 years, can have a tilt at Little Master Sachin Tendulkar’s milestone of 51 Test tons – once considered unbreachable. The Englishman’s phenomenal consistency with the bat ever since the baggage of captaincy was taken off from him in 2022, along with the fact that he has another good three to four years of international cricket left in him, makes it worthwhile to give it a shot – but it’s no mean task.  

 The jinx of a time-tested performer like Root not having a century in Australia – leave alone Tests but ODIs, T20I, warm-up fixtures or even club cricket, had been nothing short of embarrassing. In all, he had batted 70 times in 58 matches in the Kangaroo country but never managed a century – a thought which must have been weighing heavy on Root after twin failures in Perth Test.

  “He’s (Root) never mentioned it once,” teammate Zak Crawley said of the monkey on Root’s back. “But I’d be amazed if it wasn’t in his head, for sure. The fact that he can put that to one side and score a hundred shows what a class act he is and how tough he is. Everyone sees the talent, but nobody sees the inner steel he’s got as well.”

 If there is one word of praise that Root will treasure is the one from Cook. “He is England’s best batsman ever,” he said on TNT Sports. “He just gets better and better. It is a brilliant innings and just what England needed. He’s been superb under pressure as always.”

“He’s (Root) never mentioned it once,” teammate Zak Crawley said of the monkey on Root’s back. “But I’d be amazed if it wasn’t in his head, for sure. The fact that he can put that to one side and score a hundred shows what a class act he is and how tough he is. Everyone sees the talent, but nobody sees the inner steel he’s got as well.”

 If there is one word of praise that Root will treasure is the one from Cook. “He is England’s best batsman ever,” he said on TNT Sports. “He just gets better and better. It is a brilliant innings and just what England needed. He’s been superb under pressure as always.”