"I fear this guy will be breaking Sachin's record" - Fans erupt as England's Joe Root goes past Kane Williamson for most Test tons in Fab 4
Joe Root starred with the bat on Day 1 of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s in London on Thursday, August 29. The right-handed batter scored his 33rd century to go past Kane Williamson and Steve Smith (32 tons) for the most Test tons in the Fab 4 list. Virat Kohli is fourth on the elite list with 29 hundreds but overall has 80 tons in international cricket.
With his 33rd Test ton, Root also equaled former England skipper Alastair Cook for the most tons for his team in the format. The Yorkshire batter has the most tons (six) at the venue alongside Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan. It was his fourth ton against Sri Lanka.
The 33-year-old will now be keen to eclipse Cook for most Test runs by an England batter (12472). Root has 12,231 runs* after completing his century, which is subject to change at the end of his knock.
Root had previously returned with scores of 42 and an unbeaten 62 in the first Test, where England won by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Fans on X lauded Root for his consistency in Test cricket. One user wrote:
"I fear this guy will be breaking Sachin's record in test."
Another user wrote:
"Joe Root is by far the best test batter I’ve ever seen 100 YORKSHIRE."
A third user added:
"I no longer have the words to talk about Joe Root."
Here are a few more reactions:
Joe Root’s century helps England take control after early wickets against Sri Lanka in 2nd Test
Joe Root’s century proved crucial as England bounced back against Sri Lanka after losing two early wickets in the second Test on Day 1.
At the time of writing, England were 253-6 after 67.1 overs, with Root and Gus Atkinson at the crease.
Skipper Ollie Pope and Daniel Lawrence departed for single digits, while opener Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith chipped in with scores of 40 (47), 33 (45), and 21 (57), respectively. Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara have scalped two wickets each for the visitors so far.
Follow the ENG vs SL 2nd Test live score and updates here.