"Joe Root has been better than Smith and Williamson in the sub-continent" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has said that Joe Root has outperformed Steve Smith and Kane Williamson in the sub-continent.
Joe Root played 228 and 186-run knocks during England's Test tour to Sri Lanka last month. He followed that up with another majestic effort of 218 runs in England's first innings of the Chennai Test against India.
During a discussion on Star Sports about the Fab Four - Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson - Aakash Chopra observed that their performances in alien conditions will be the biggest parameter to judge their greatness.
"In the end, you will be judged on how you play away from home. The conditions at home are suitable to you and you play well there. Even if you are an English player, we say that the ball moves there but he [Root] is able to handle the moving ball because his technique is like that," said Chopra.
The reputed commentator pointed out that Joe Root has an edge over Steve Smith and Kane Williamson when it comes to their performances on spin-friendly tracks.
"So when you look at Root, we will see how he plays spin and when we look at Virat, we will see how he plays seam and swing. He [Root] is 100% standing out in this test, in fact you can also say that among the three other players [apart from Kohli] in the Fab four, his performance has been the best on Indian soil. Joe Root has been better than Steve Smith and Kane Williamson in the sub-continent," highlighted Chopra.
Joe Root plays most of his cricket in difficult conditions: Aakash Chopra
While observing that Joe Root, Williamson, and Smith may not be the best when it comes to T20I cricket, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the trio along with Kohli are certainly the premier batsmen in the longest format of the game.
"These four players have a different stature in international cricket. Virat Kohli is an all-format player. Kane Williamson and Steve Smith have been very good in Tests and ODIs. Joe Root doesn't play the T20Is but there is no competition to these four when it comes to Test cricket," said Chopra.
Aakash Chopra also highlighted that both Williamson and Joe Root have played the majority of their cricket in seamer-friendly conditions, where the bowlers are generally on top.
"The point to remember is that Kane Williamson plays in New Zealand, where the pitches are very difficult. Joe Root also has a similar story because he either plays on English pitches and when he comes to the sub-continent you are always in trouble because playing spin is not easy, you can ask Ricky Ponting about that," concluded Aakash Chopra.
Joe Root has amassed 1842 runs at an impressive average of 59.41 in seventeen Tests in Asia. He has certainly outperformed Smith and Williamson, who average 48.00 and 46.81 respectively, in sub-continental conditions.