Former England spinner Monty Panesar has made a bold statement regarding Joe Root's Test career. Panesar believes that if Root does not have a successful series in the upcoming Ashes in Australia, his career could follow a similar downward trajectory to that of Virat Kohli's if the English batter struggles in the upcoming Ashes series in Australia.
The Ashes 2025-2026 series is set to begin on November 21, 2025, and marks another opportunity for Root to perform on Australian soil, where he is yet to score a Test century.
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Root has been a standout performer for England. He is currently on pace to challenge Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket. Since the beginning of the World Test Championship, Root has amassed an impressive 6,080 runs and 22 centuries, solidifying his status as the premier Test batter among active players.
Monty Panesar fires warning to Joe Root ahead of Ashes ordeal
Despite his overall dominance, Root has yet to score a Test century in Australia. In 27 innings 'Down Under', he has scored 892 runs at an average of 35.68, with nine half-centuries. Panesar believes that if Root again fails to perform in Australia, his career could see a decline similar to the one experienced by Kohli.
“It really depends how next year goes for him, how the Ashes go, we saw very much with Virat Kohli, right? He went to Australia and he just didn't know what to do with that ball outside 4th, 5th stump. I think that kind of led to his decision or a collective decision for him to retire. And yeah, if Joe Root doesn't have a good Ashes series and it goes really bad for him. Suddenly, all it takes one series and you look, it's a different ball game altogether. England could lose their coach, their captain, if it's a very bad series, a few jobs could be done. Suddenly people begin questioning, is he gone past his best? So it's very important when you go to Australia, doesn't matter how good you are, you've got to perform in Australia,” Panesar told IndiaToday.in.
Panesar has expressed skepticism about Root's ability to end his century drought in Australia, noting that facing a formidable bowling attack on bouncy pitches will be a significant challenge for him. Despite his doubts about Root's performance in Australia, the 43-year-old still believes the English batter is on track to break Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket. Root is currently 2,378 runs away from the legendary Indian batter's milestone and would need a few more successful years to approach the record.
“It's going to be very difficult for him because he's going to be facing a strong Australian attack, and this is probably one of the strongest bowling attacks we've seen. But the form he's shown, and the runs he's scoring, he would probably want to score 100. I'm sure there will be one of those Test matches, where the wicket isn't so bouncy, there's not so much pace in it possibly at Adelaide or, even in Melbourne, depending on the conditions. Well he's got a chance, but anything a bit bouncy or quick, I think, it'd be, it'd be a little bit difficult for him,” he added.
“I recently said he could reach 18,000 runs — and I know Indian fans weren’t too happy! But look, he's averaged around 50 in his last 20 Tests. If he keeps that up, and plays for another 4–5 years like Sachin did, it’s possible. But it’s a long road," Panesar concluded.
It will be interesting to see whether Root can manage to get rid of the century drought in Australia or ends up extending it. Notably, the five-match Ashes series between England and Australia will get underway from November 21.