Joe Root Leaves Virat Kohli Far Behind to Level with Kane Williamson & Steve Smith on Elite List

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Joe Root (R) and Virat Kohli (L)

England batter Joe Root on Sunday smashed his 32nd Test ton on Sunday as England squared off against West Indies on the fourth day of the ongoing Nottingham Test. Resuming his innings on 37 in the morning with Harry Brook, the former England captain went on to score 122 off 178 balls before losing his wicket to all-rounder Jason Holder. Root also featured in a game-changing 189-run partnership with Brook, who scored 109 off 132, as the hosts piled up 425 runs in their second innings.

With his 32nd Test hundred, Root equalled the tallies of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and former Australia skipper Steve Smith. He is just a hundred away from matching his former teammate Sir Alastair Cook who retired back in 2018 with 33 Test centuries.

While Root is now one of the three active cricketers with the most Test hundreds, Indian stalwart Virat Kohli is next in the fray with 29 tons, matching the record of great Don Bradman. But there was a huge difference between the records of Kohli and Root in 2021.

The former India skipper had 27 Test tons to his name while Root had only 17. In the next three years, the Englishman added 15 more hundreds to his tally while Kohli could muster only 2. Meanwhile, Williamson had 23 Test centuries in 2021 while Smith had 26.

West Indies need 385 to win

 

The West Indies were set 385 to win the second Test against England after dismissing the hosts for 425 in their second innings on Sunday’s fourth day at Trent Bridge. Joe Root (122) and Harry Brook (109) both made hundreds, with the Yorkshire duo sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 189.

West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales took 4-97 in 22.2 overs as the tourists tried to limit the damage. England are 1-0 up in this three-match series after an innings and 114-run win in the first Test at Lord’s.