Virat Kohli laughs as Joe Root out of Indian veteran's perfect Test batter. Image Credits: AFP
A former Indian cricketer has listed perfect Test batters from across generations according to different skills, and surprisingly, there was no place for England great Joe Root.
The snub of Root triggered a massive debate on social media as the England batter is regarded as one of the greatest talents of the modern era in the Test format.
In fact, he is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of the format, only second to legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Abhinav Mukund snubs Joe Root from elite Test list
Talking on Cricinfo, former Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund divided his ideal Test batters into different categories, assigning each quality to a different superstar.
He included stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith and a couple of others. However, he shockingly excluded Joe Root from that list.
This snub was shocking because Root has been the best Test batter of this generation. He enjoyed exceptional success against spin and developed an unconventional but highly effective method of scoring, particularly through sweeps and reverse sweeps.
Yet, Abhinav Mukund feels Joe Root’s skills and success are not on par compared to other names from this list.
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Root continues to shine despite snub
Having said that, Joe Root is letting his bat talk amid such snubs. During the first Test against Pakistan at Leeds, he scored 66 off 112 balls to equal the record of Sachin Tendulkar for hitting the most half-centuries in Test history.
Not only that, but Root also became the player with the most fifties in WTC history. He surpassed the 3000-run mark as captain in WTC, thus becoming the first ever player to do so.
A single half-century helped him achieve multiple records, and Root is unlikely to stop anytime soon. At 35, he is going stronger than ever and might catch up to Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious record.
Root approaching Tendulkar’s elite record
Interestingly, Joe Root has a realistic chance of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs. Tendulkar remains No. 1 with 15921 Test runs, while Root has moved beyond 14,000.
Root needs roughly 1900 runs to overtake Tendulkar. At his career scoring rate, that is potentially around 20-25 Tests, depending on how many innings he gets and how productive he remains.
Earlier projections have suggested that another three years of regular Test cricket could be enough for Joe Root to script history. But the real question is whether he has enough Tests left in him to do it.
Root is now 35, while Sachin Tendulkar played until 40 and accumulated his record over 200 Tests. Root has already played 160-plus Tests, so he doesn't have the luxury of another decade to chase the mark.
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