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'Unstoppable run-machine' Joe Root equals Virat Kohli, Steve Smith's record with his fastest Test century
Joe Root scored his second century in as many Test matches in just 115 balls, making it his fastest yet.
England's Joe Root continued his blistering run of form by smashing a century off just 115 balls, making it the fastest of his career, against New Zealand on day 3 of the second Test at Trent Bridge. It is also a second consecutive century for Root, having earlier scored an unbeaten 115 to lead England to victory in the first Test.
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Root has now scored 27 Test centuries, thus equaling the record for most tons in the longest format of the game among active cricketers. India's Virat Kohli and Australia's Steve Smith are the other two players on that mark. It is to be noted, however, that Kohli has not scored a Test century since November 2019 whole Smith hasn't reached three figures since January 2021. Root, on the other hand, has now scored 10 centuries in the last one and a half years.
"27th Test match hundred for England's finest Joe Root. His fourth hundred in five Test matches. He is the unstoppable run machine," said former England captain Nasser Hussain in the commentary box.
The former England captain's purple patch over the last two years has helped him catch up with the rest of the players with whom he is considered to form the ‘Fab 4’. Kohli had led the way with 27 tons at the start of 2021 while Smith was on 26. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was on 24 centuries while Root was on 17. Root has since overtaken Williamson, whose Test appearances have dwindled since December 2019 due to a spate of injuries, and has now levelled with both Smith and Kohli.
Root had become just the second England player to go past 10,000 Test runs in the first match at Lord's. It had prompted many former players to predict that he may just go past Sachin Tendulkar's record for most career Test runs. Root, 31, crossed 10,100 runs with his innings on Sunday in what is his 119th Test match while Tendulkar had retired at the age of 39 with 15,921 in 200 Tests.
