Joe Root joins Sachin Tendulkar in elite list with stunning century against South Africa in 3rd ODI

England batter Joe Root scorted a sensational century against South Africa in the third and final ODI of the series. This was the 34-year-old's 19th hundred in the format and massively helped his side in posting a mammoth total of 414/5 in 50 overs.

Root played a fabulous knock of 100 runs from 96 deliveries which included six boundaries. He also formed a humongous partnership of 182 runs alongside Jacob Bethell, who also hit a monumental century. In reply, South Africa absolutely capitulated under pressure and got bundled out for just 72 runs, losing the match by a massive 342-run margin.

This was Root's 39th international century in winning cause and it saw him join an elite list consisting of greats like Virat Kohli, Sachinb Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. The England batter is among the players with the most centuries scored in winning cause.

Here is a list of players with most international centuries in winning cause -

1. Virat Kohli - 58 hundreds

2. Ricky Ponting - 55 hundreds

3. Sachin Tendulkar - 53 hundreds

4. Hashim Amla - 40 hundreds

5. Rohit Sharma - 40 hundreds

6. Joe Root - 39 hundreds

Root wasn't really able to perform well in the first ODI of the series against South Africa and got dismissed for just 14 runs. However, he significantly improved in the second match and played a valiant inning of 61. The 34-year-old finished off the series with a bang and will be looking to continue this form in England's next one-day assignment which will be against New Zealand and will commence from October 26.

Though Test cricket is the format where Root shines the most, he has also had an impressive career in the one-day format as well. In the 183 ODIs he has played so far, the England batter has scored 7301 runs, including 19 centuries and 43 half-centuries. He also has a phenomenal average of 49.33 and has played several memorable knocks in the format.