Joe Root - Batting on and on towards greatness
"Make hay while the sun shines!", the sun seems to be shining bright on England Test captain Joe Root. He seems to be making hay as well! In the ongoing Test series against India, the No. 4 England batsman has already struck gold with scores of 64, 109, 180*, 33 and 121 in the five innings of the first three Tests.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Root's great run with the bat has enabled a lift in the otherwise sagging spirit of the England team. They could finally outplay the tourists in all departments to win the third test at Headingley and level the series 1-1 with two more Tests to go.
Root enjoying a great run in 2021
Root entered this year after experiencing a below-par run (by his own standards) in the preceding years of 2019 and 2020. In the 20 Tests he played in those years, Root could muster a modest 1315 runs with an average of below 40 and scoring only two centuries.
With the calendar changing, fortunes instantly changed for the England batting mainstay. In January 2021, England toured Sri Lanka, where Root scored big hundreds (228 and 186) in both Tests, steering his team to a second consecutive Test series victory over the island nation in their own den.
The juggernaut continued in India as well. Root produced another swashbuckling knock of 218 runs in the first innings of the first Test in Chennai, guiding his team to their first Test victory on Indian soil since 2012.
However, extremely prepared spin-friendly surfaces were successful in containing the raging English captain for the rest of the series as Root and his batting unit were totally undone by the Indian spinners in the next three Tests.
A slow start followed by a great pick-up into the summer
The start of the English summer was not on the expected line for Root, both as a batsman and as a skipper. In the two-Test series against New Zealand, he couldn't even produce a half-century in four completed innings as his team went down 0-1 losing a home series for the first time since 2014.
But a month and a half away from red-ball cricket proved beneficial for the England Test captain. He came fresh into the all-important series against India and started on a strong note, scoring 64 in the first innings of the first Test at Nottingham.
He then scored 109 runs in the second innings to help his team post a competitive fourth innings target of 209 runs for the visiting team. But rain on the final day acted as a spoilsport and ended the match in a draw.
The skipper's unbeaten 180 in the first innings had put England in a commanding position in the second Test at Lord's. But the inability of his bowlers to get India's tail out at the start of the final day and his team's subsequent fourth innings batting collapse handed the skipper an unexpected defeat. As captain, he had to take the blame for his team's dismal showing on the final day, though his contributions with the bat were cut above the rest.
Continued form and a timely turnaround
Fortunately for England, their captain's form remained unperturbed by that morale wrenching defeat. His good form with the bat continued into the third Test in Leeds as well, with another three-figure mark (121), his 23rd overall in red-ball cricket.
However, this time, he found good support from his top order batsmen. After bowling the Indians out for a meager 78 in their first innings, all the top-3 English batsmen scored in excess of 60. This took the team to a good first innings total of 432 runs, which was good enough to enforce an innings defeat.
Victory at Leeds was an important milestone for Root's captaincy career as well. With that win, he has now become the most successful England Test captain registering 27 victories in 55 Tests he has led.
With still two Tests to play, Root has already amassed 507 runs in the ongoing series at an astounding average of 126.75. With still four months to go, the numbers for 2021 look even more towering. In 11 Tests, he has accumulated 1398 runs at an impressive average of 69.9 with the help of six centuries.
Although these numbers already look astonishing for the year, Root can't afford to rest on these laurels. With two more Tests to go in this series and a long winter in the form of "The Ashes" in Australia up next, he will look to continue his thick form with the bat and enjoy more success with his captaincy as well.