'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Joe Root has a special connection with India. The England batsman made his debut against India in the Asian nation in 2012, and also played his 50th and 100th Tests against the same opposition.
He usually reserves his best for matches against India. Joe Root has an average of 49.24 in Test cricket, which shoots up to 53.35 when he plays India. 25% of his Test tons have come against India, and Joe Root will be expected to do the bulk of the scoring once again when the two sides clash later this year.
England Test skipper Joe Root has a terrific record against India
The England Test skipper will have a point to prove during the five-match India vs England Test series scheduled for August-September. Although the 30-year-old started the recent India vs England series brilliantly, his form tailed off as England were battered 3-1.
His wicket will be a prized one for Indian bowlers, with Joe Root proving his importance countless times in the past. Some of Joe Root’s best knocks have come against India, and here are his top five innings against the No.1 ranked Test team in the world.
5) 73 (229) in Nagpur, 2012
One of Joe Root’s best innings against India came in his first Test match when the young Englishman made his debut at Nagpur in 2012. On a day when most of England's top-order failed to adjust to conditions, a young Joe Root played a gem of an innings to help his side register a historic Test series win in India.
Coming into the side for the final Test against India, England had to avoid defeat to win the series 2-1. Batting first, Joe Root came out to bat for the first time in Test cricket with the scoreboard reading 119/4. Batting alongside Kevin Pietersen, the debutant held his own before showing great temperament to bat with the lower-order.
Joe Root carved a fifty on debut, with his patient 229 ball 73 seeing him bat for close to five hours. His responsible innings meant England put up 330 on the board, which crucially helped the visitors draw the Test and return home with a series win.
4) 125 (190) in London, 2018
There has been recurring criticism of how Joe Root is primarily a first innings batsman, but the Yorkshire lad shed that image in Alastair Cook’s last Test in London in 2018.
England had already wrapped up the series, but the final Test was firmly balanced after the first innings, with England beginning their second innings with a slim 40-run lead.
With Day 3 underway, Joe Root got together with Alastair Cook for a massive 259-run partnership for the third wicket which broke India’s resolve. He came into the game after having failed to convert his last 20 second-innings half-centuries into hundreds, but Joe Root made no mistake here, scoring an imperious 125.
What was even more impressive was that Joe Root’s hundred came after he had scored a three-ball duck in the first innings, with Joe Root under pressure after notching up just 194 runs over the first four Tests.
His impressive century, along with Alastair Cook’s 147 ensured England put up a stiff target for India, which the visitors couldn’t chase down as England eventually won the game by 118 runs.
3) 154* (295) in Nottingham, 2014
While a 154* at home that doesn’t lead to a win may not catch the eye at first glance, Joe Root’s effort against India was something different. Joe Root came out to bat with England in a solid position at 154/3 but found himself losing partners as the Indian pace contingent took 4 wickets for the next 48 runs.
With England reeling at 202/7 in the first innings, Joe Root put his head down and went about his business in sublime fashion. He first got together with Stuart Broad, putting together a 78-run partnership to take England close to 300.
While batting with the tail, Joe Root displayed outstanding concentration, making sure his partners faced the least balls possible. He negotiated an Indian pace pack that was hot on its heels, combining patience and perseverance to keep the scoreboard ticking.
But he reserved his best for last, with his record-breaking 198-run partnership with James Anderson for the 10th wicket a knock for the ages. Joe Root’s stellar show meant England notched up 496 in the first innings. It was a blow from which India could never recover, as they laboured to a draw.
2) 149* (165) in London, 2014
Another Man of the Match Joe Root effort that helped England to a win against India took place in 2014 in London. Already ahead 2-1 in the five-match Test series, Joe Root’s 149* was the crown jewel in England’s batting display which helped them register a win by an innings and 244 runs.
Just two years into his Test career at the time, young Joe Root batted brilliantly at No.5 to guide England out of a precarious position. The hosts found themselves in a spot of bother after losing four wickets for just 38 runs on Day 2.
But Joe Root came in and played anchor brilliantly, displaying maturity far beyond his years to stitch a crucial partnership with Jos Buttler. Root took 93 balls to reach his fifty that day but then upped the ante brilliantly to score his next 50 runs in 42 balls as he put England firmly in the driver’s seat.
Hitting 18 boundaries and a solitary six, the Indian bowlers had no answer to Joe Root’s masterclass, with the batsman remaining not out on 149 as England were bowled out for 486. Despite missing out on a deserved 150, Joe Root had done his job. England didn’t need to bat again as they bundled India out for 94 and registered a thumping win to cap off the series.
1) 218 (377) in Chennai, 2021
Joe Root’s best innings against India was one of his most recent ones. England came into the four-match series under pressure, with concerns over how the inexperienced line-up would negotiate sticky Indian conditions.
True to form, Joe Root led the way in the first Test in Chennai, scoring a marvellous double hundred in the first innings. He came into the series in good touch but took it one notch higher with an impressive 377 ball 218 that formed the foundation of England’s win.
Joe Root came out to bat after England lost two wickets in quick succession, and stitched up a 200 run partnership with Ben Stokes. Root’s use of the sweep was particularly impressive, with the batsman making full use of the flat track to peg the Indian spinners back on home turf.
A true captain’s knock, batted for almost nine hours as he bullied the Indian bowlers into submission. He hit 19 fours and two sixes on the way, with there being no part of the ground where Joe Root hadn’t scored a run.
Joe Root's mammoth score meant England notched up 578 in the first innings. It was a score India couldn’t match even after batting twice, and England registered a thumping 227 run win with Joe Root deservedly declared the Man of the Match.
With the England vs India series not too far away, all the attention will once again be on Joe Root to see how he fares against Virat Kohli’s men. Success for him usually means success for England, and the skipper will look to lead from the front and play a few knocks for the ages when the two sides face off against each other starting August.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
