Joe Root's top 3 knocks in Pataudi Trophy

Joe Root recently cemented his place as one of England’s greatest ever Test batters after crossing the hallowed 10,000-run mark in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand.

Root has been particularly effective at playing in England, devouring bowling attacks for fun at his best. The English talisman loves playing the Pataudi Trophy, i.e. the Test series against India at home, with a monstrous average of 70.02, scoring 1401 runs in just 23 innings.

Here, we look at his top three innings against India in England.

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#3 149* (165), The Oval, 2014

The tale of India’s tour of England in 2014 was about the visitors' initial promise, grind, and class in the first two Tests and how it all slipped away in the next three, losing the series 3-1 in humiliating fashion.

While Joe Root was consistent for his side throughout the series, he truly stamped his authority in the final fixture to ensure India did not have the slightest chance of drawing the series being 2-1 down before the last match.

James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes all got a piece of the Indian pie as the visitors were bundled for just 148 in 61.1 overs on the first day of play. Skipper MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 81 was the saving grace that prevented an absolute Indian catastrophe. However, things would only get worse for the tourists.

England had already gotten a lead of 53 runs by the time Joe Root came in to bat at No.5, but the talented youngster would take the game away for good. He flicked, drove, and cut deliveries at every opportunity he got, romping his way to a massive 149 not out in just 165 balls.

The lack of solid partnerships down the order did not stop Root from attacking the bowlers and entertaining the crowd at The Oval, treating Ishant Sharma, Stuart Binny, and Varun Aaron with equal disdain.

The batsman scored one run more than the entire Indian first-innings total, and 55 runs more than the entire Indian second-innings total as England wrapped the game inside three games. England might have won the game anyways courtesy of India’s poor batting display, but Root’s masterclass saw the home side romp to an innings victory in Kennington, London.

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#2 154* (295), Nottingham, 2014

Coming back to the 2014 Pataudi Trophy, the first Test of the series was an intensely tight battle between the two teams. The visiting team had scars from the previous 4-0 whitewash in 2011 and had arrived in Nottingham meaning business. India’s MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat on a pleasant morning, in the mood to make merry of the weather and a flat pitch.

Murali Vijay did just that with a breathtaking 146 off 361 balls, respecting the good deliveries, dispatching the loose ones, and being in control for most of the innings. Dhoni’s solid 82, followed by a tremendous 111 partnership for the 10th wicket by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami, gave India a tremendous total and a real chance of going 1-0 up in the Pataudi series.

As England began their first innings trailing by 457 runs, captain Alastair Cook fell early before Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, and Ian Bell steadied the ship. However, by the time Joe Root came in to bat at No.5, England were still trailing by a massive 303 runs and on the verge of a massive first innings deficit.

Starting cautiously, Root held one end while rotating the strike until he nearly ran out of any partners to bat with. England were at a concerning 202/7 and on the verge of facing a follow-on when he built a partnership with Broad as the latter scored a quick and aggressive 47 off just 42 deliveries.

However, Broad’s wicket and Plunkett’s short stay meant that the English first innings looked well and truly complete. Root and No. 11 James Anderson had other plans. The duo held the innings for over two sessions, scoring at a quick rate, and stunned the entire world by not only recovering the innings but also taking the innings lead.

Anderson bought up his first ever Test fifty and his only one, finishing his innings at 81 while Root remained unbeaten on a splendid 154.

The grit, patience, and class shown in the partnership became a legendary story, as the 196-run partnership for the 10th wicket broke the previously held record created by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami in just the previous innings of the same match.

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#1 180*(321), Lord's, 2021

The tale of Joe Root’s classic 180 at Lord's in the second Test of India’s tour of England 2021 was yet another tale of the talismanic batter single-handedly keeping the English batting alive.

Root has been the only consistent batsman in the side for a few months now. He was the only one who was able to withstand and capitalize on the rank-turners in Sri Lanka and India as well.

This Indian team, on the other hand, was unlike any of the previous generations of Indian teams that stepped on English soil. They stunned the cricketing world with a historic series win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, played on Australian soil, including an epic Day 5 victory in the last Test.

Batting first, India’s Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave the team an unimaginable headstart with absolutely flamboyant strokeplay. The former had scored a blitzkreig 83 out of 126 runs of the innings before being the first dismissal of the match. Rahul, however, went on to reach another scintillating century on English soil, getting out for 129.

A first innings lead of 364 seemed like a problem for the English batting side that was grossly out of form. Walking in to bat at 23/2 on a hat-trick ball against a fiery Mohammed Siraj, Root had to stay on the pitch and play out the deadly pace attack with the new ball.

As time went by, the Yorkshire batter started playing his trademark cuts, drives and flicks as he stood tall against the Indian attack to post a magnificent 180 not out. The English batting crumbled towards the end, but the former captain single-handedly gave the home side a lead of 27 runs in tough batting conditions.

The captain kept his side in the game almost entirely by himself, but India had other plans. A late boost to the third innings score by tail-enders Jasprit Bumrah’s 34 not out and Mohammad Shami’s unbeaten 56 on Day 5 morning gave the visitors a chance to go for victory after declaring at 298/8.

It was all up to Root to hold the innings together and get his team to survive 60 overs on the last day of play. The English batting capitulated under pressure and the Indian pace attack blitzed their way into a famous test victory at Lord’s, packed with tension, drama, sledging, and excitement.

While Root’s 180 in the first innings was not enough to save his team, he led from the front and kept his team alive for the entire duration of the Test, making it his best innings in the Pataudi trophy so far.

Joe Root’s current form should give him and his team the confidence to draw the series in the fifth Test of the Pataudi Trophy 2021. Having stepped down from the captaincy, Root is now free to unleash his best batting in what will be a crucial match for England in the context of both the Pataudi Trophy as well as the World Test Championship table.