Joe Root surpasses Rahul Dravid, equals Sachin Tendulkar's spectacular feat in England vs Australia 5th Ashes Test
England's Joe Root has matched Sachin Tendulkar's spectacular feat in the 5th Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval.
Former England skipper Joe Root signed off from the Ashes by playing a brilliant knock against Pat Cummins' Australia in the fifth Test of the high-profile series at The Oval. The talismanic batter of the Three Lions surpassed legendary batter Rahul Dravid and the ex-England captain also equalled Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's incredible feat in the 2nd innings of the 5th Test on Sunday. Batting with a positive intent in the Test series decider, Root propelled England to a challenging 2nd innings total.
The World No.3 batter played a match-altering knock of 91 off 106 balls in the series decider against the Baggy Greens. Root and Jonny Bairstow stitched a crucial century partnership to make sure Ben Stokes' England remain in the hunt to level the series 2-2 at The Oval on Sunday. In a match where veteran England pacer Stuart Broad stunned the cricket fraternity by announcing that he is retiring from cricket after the end of the Ashes, Root and Bairstow combined for a fifth-wicket stand of 110 runs against the Baggy Greens at The Oval.
While Root top-scored for the hosts, wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow chipped in with a sublime 78-run knock in England's second essay. Root is one of the leading run-getters in the Ashes series between arch-rivals England and Australia. The Englishman has amassed 412 runs in the five-match series. Interestingly, Root has crossed the 300-run mark for the 19th time in a Test series. Root has eclipsed Dravid and Brian Lara on an elite list as the batting icons achieved the same feat 18 times in their respective careers.
Root equals Tendulkar's spectacular feat
Only Tendulkar and Root have scored 300-plus runs in a Test series on 19 occasions. Australia's Ricky Ponting and ex-England skipper Alastair Cook breached the 300-run mark in a Test series 17 times. Only Zak Crawley and Usman Khawaja have scored more runs in the five-match Test series this year. Root's batting heroics powered England to 395 in the 2nd innings.
The 32-year-old has played 135 Tests for England. Root made his Test debut against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium back in 2012. The ex-England skipper has amassed 11,416 runs in the oldest and longest format of the game. Averaging over 50 in 135 Tests, Root has slammed 30 centuries and 60 half-centuries for the Three Lions.
