"Always the superstar" - Joe Root congratulates Jonny Bairstow ahead of his 100th Test

England's ace batter Joe Root paid congratulated teammate Jonny Bairstow on a stellar career as the latter prepares for his 100th Test. Root said Bairstow always had the talent to cut it at the top level and observed that he also looks after his teammates well.

Bairstow will become the 17th English player to play 100 Tests when he takes the field for the fifth and final Test against India in Dharamsala this week. The 34-year-old will be keen to make amends after a poor series thus far. In four Tests, the right-hander has only managed 170 runs, averaging a shade above 20.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Podcast, Root lauded Bairstow for doing well to step out of his father's shadow and described him as one of the most 'genuine' people. The right-hander elaborated:

"Jonny was always the superstar. He had the difficult tag of following in his father's footsteps but he always lived up to it. He was someone who always excelled and was top of the class as we were coming through at Yorkshire. He was a very talented sportsman growing up - especially if you ask him! He is also one of those genuinely kind people that wants to do everything for you. It might not always come across like that on the screen but he has a really good heart and is someone that will always have your back and look after you."

Root lauded the multitude of skills that Bairstow brings to the table, adding:

"You know how much it means to him to play for England and it will be an emotional week for him. It will be nice to be there to share that with him. You couldn't write a better script for Jonny Bairstow. We have had numerous coaches who have wanted to balance the Test side and set up differently. With Jonny, you can play him as a batter, play him as a keeper-batter. He can offer so much and has such a wide range of skillsets that it can be misinterpreted at times what his best strengths are."

The Yorkshire batter made his Test debut in 2012. The summer of 2022 saw him score four centuries, with two each against India and New Zealand.

"Played some vital innings since that major leg break" - Joe Root

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. (Credits: Getty)

Root continued stating that Bairstow's comeback from the leg injury has also been fruitful, given the transformation in his role.

"It also shows the resilience of the player to be able to come back and almost have to remodel yourself into a different role within the team [from wicketkeeper-batter at No 7 to specialist batter in top six] and still have such an impact. He has played some vital innings since that major leg break he had a couple of years ago. It is amazing for him to come back from that as he has done," he said.

Finally, the Yorkshire batter lauded his fellow countryman for displaying consistency across formats.

"You also have to factor in that for a long time he has been a major part of all three teams - Test, ODI and T20 - and the wear and mental fatigue that can have on players. To continually be consistent is a very hard thing to do and throughout his career, he has always been at the top of at least one or two of those formats. That is an incredible feat," Root added.

While England have lost the Test series to India, they would be keen to regain some pride by winning in Dharamsala.