3 records that Joe Root broke during his fabulous century on Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test
England's middle-order batter Joe Root played a special knock and helped his side dominate proceedings on Day 1 of the ongoing opening Ashes Test against Australia at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.
After opting to bat first on a batting-friendly deck, England stuttered a bit after they lost half of their side with only 176 runs on the board. Zak Crawley did begin the innings with a superb half-century (61 off 73) but was sent back on the last ball before lunch.
However, England's talisman Joe Root stood tall and weathered the storm by Australian pacers. He continued from where Crawley left and dominated the opposition.
STUMPS ON DAY 1! 🏏
An entertaining day of cricket comes to an end 🍿
The Ashes well and truly begun on a high 🤩
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Root put on an exhibition of pure class and played his drives and flicks to perfection. Apart from this, he also struck a couple of reverse scoops to the pacers to entertain the Edgbaston crowd. Alongside Jonny Bairstow, Root added a crucial 121-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Bairstow also dominated during his stay and scored a run-a-ball 78.
In the 76th over bowled by Nathan Lyon (4/149), Root successfully completed his century and punched the air in delight. Just after his ton, Root went berserk and hit the Australian off-spinner for two sixes in a single over.
With the help of seven fours and four maximums, Root remained unbeaten at 118 off 152 balls before Ben Stokes opted for an early declaration at 393/8.
During the course of his magnificent innings, the Englishman also broke a slew of records. Here are three records that Joe Root broke during his wonderful knock against Australia in Birmingham.
#3 Joint-most Test centuries for England while batting at No. 4
After going up and down in the batting slot early in his career, Joe Root has developed into a solid No. 4 batter in Test cricket. While batting in 127 innings at that position, Root has mustered over 6,000 runs in his career so far, which also includes 19 centuries.
and first against Australia since 2015 
Joe Root’s fine form continues 🔥
His 30th Test 💯 and first against Australia since 2015 👏
What a player! 🙌
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His ton against Australia was his 19th Test ton while batting at No. 4, which is now the joint-most by any English batter. Kevin Pietersen also hit as many as 19 Test tons while batting at No. 4 for England.
#2 Second-most international centuries among active players
Not only for England cricket, but Joe Root is considered one of the best batters of this generation. Especially in the last two to three years, he has taken his game to the next level. In fact, in the last 30 months, Root has notched up 13 Test centuries, which is the most by anyone in this period.
Most international hundreds among active players:
Virat Kohli - 75
Joe Root - 46*
David Warner - 45
Steven Smith - 43
Rohit Sharma - 43 https://t.co/Dc46L9m1KQ
In total, Root now has 46 international centuries to his name. With this, he has surpassed David Warner's tally of 45 centuries to become the second-most successful batter (among active players) in scoring hundreds.
As of now, Virat Kohli (75 centuries) remains the only active player to score more international tons than Joe Root. However, David Warner, who is currently batting on 8*, will have a chance to equal Root on the tally.
#1 Joe Root has most top scores by an English player in Tests
Over the years, Joe Root has been England's linchpin in red-ball cricket. His contribution has been massive, having amassed a total of 11,112 runs at an average of 50.8 across 239 Test innings.
Among those 239 Test innings, Root has now top-scored for England on 59 occasions, which is the most times by any England player in the history of Test cricket.
Joe Root - Mr. Exceptional...!!
30th Test century, what a batter. https://t.co/nBafKORvXQ
With Joe Root once again top-scoring for England on Friday, he has gone past Sir Alastair Cook on the tally. Cook top-scored for England 58 times in the 291 Test innings he batted in.