Decoding the incredible run of Joe Root since January 2021
What's the story
England captain Joe Root shone on Day 1 of the second Test against West Indies at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown. He slammed his second century in back-to-back Tests, his 25th overall in Test cricket. Root, who returned unbeaten on 119, broke a slew of records. He has now registered eight Test tons since the start of last year. Here are his stats since January 2021.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Root has slammed eight tons in Tests since the start of 2021. He has become the only player to register over 2,000 Test runs in this period. India's Rishabh Pant follows Root on the list with 1,077 Test runs. Root registered his 14th ton as captain. In the last Test, he broke a tie with Alastair Cook, who scored 12 tons while leading England.
Numbers
Root averages 59.35 since January 2021
Since January 1, 2021, Root has smashed 2,018 runs from 19 Tests at an incredible average of 59.35. He is 941 runs ahead of second-placed Pant (1,077). Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne (1,068) and India's Rohit Sharma (996) are next on the tally. Root also has the most number of centuries in the period (8). Karunaratne follows Root with five tons.
2021
Root broke plenty of records in 2021
Root was the only player to have scored over 1,000 Test runs in 2021. He finished the year with 1,708 runs from 15 Tests at a staggering average of 61.00. Root now has the third-most Test runs in a calendar year after Mohammad Yousuf (1,788) and Vivian Richards (1,710). He owns the joint-third-most centuries (6) in a calendar year (Tests).
Do you know?
Test centuries by an England captain in a calendar year
Root now holds the record for smashing the most Test centuries by an England captain in a calendar year (six in 2021). Interestingly, Graham Gooch (1990), Michael Atherton (1994), and Andrew Strauss (2009) slammed four each while leading England.
Tons
Most Test tons by an England captain
Root slammed his 24th Test ton in the series opener against West Indies. He overtook Alastair Cook in terms of centuries by an England captain in Test cricket. Root registered his 13th Test ton while leading England, breaking a tie with Cook. Overall, the former has the second-most Test tons for England after Cook (33). Root's 25th came in the second Test.
Information
First England player with 5,000 Test runs as captain
Earlier this year, Root became the first player from England to score 5,000 runs as captain in Test cricket. He surpassed the long-standing record of Cook, who tallied 4,844 runs while leading England. Root now has 5,247 runs at 47.70 as captain.
Milestone
Root set to complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket
Root is set to become the 14th cricketer and second from England to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He will be the first among active cricketers to do so. Root could become the fastest from England to reach this landmark. Cook scored his 10,000th run in his 229th innings. Meanwhile, Root has played 213 innings in the format so far (9,841 runs).