Joe Root just 54 runs away from achieving what no cricketer in history has ever done
World number one Test batsman Joe Root will be a key player for England in the fifth Test against India, scheduled to be played from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval in London.
World number one Test batsman Joe Root will be a key player for England in the fifth Test against India, scheduled to be played from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval in London. Root will aim to help the hosts secure a 3-1 series victory by producing another big score against the Shubman Gill-led side in the fifth and final Test.
During the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Root will have the opportunity to become the first cricketer to score 6000 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC). Root, who is already the highest run-scorer in the WTC, has amassed 5946 runs in 68 matches so far. He needs at least 54 runs at The Oval to reach the 6000-run milestone in the WTC.
No other batsman in the world has managed to score even 5000 runs in the WTC. The gap between Root and second-placed Steve Smith stands at 1668 runs.
Additionally, Root has the chance to complete 2000 Test runs against India in England. He currently has 1977 runs from 19 Tests against India on home soil and needs just 23 more to reach the 2000-run mark.
Root has scored nine centuries in 19 Tests against India in England—no other batsman in the world has scored nine Test centuries on home ground against a single team.
If Root scores a century in the Oval Test, he will become the first player in the world to score 24 Test centuries on home soil. At present, he is tied with Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Mahela Jayawardene, each with 23 home Test centuries.
Furthermore, if Root scores at least 22 runs in the fifth Test, he will surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 7216 Test runs at home, taking his tally of Test runs in England to 7217.
