Joe Root has a golden opportunity to claim top Steve Smith record in Chennai Test

After a potentially career-defining series against Sri Lanka last month, England's captain Joe Root will come into India looking to solidify his legacy in game. It will be a poignant moment for Brit as he takes to middle of MA Chidambaram Stium on Friday morning, for t only will he be hoping to captain England to two consecutive Test victories, he will also be doing so while playing his milestone 100th Test. Also on offer will be a chance to break rival Steve Smith's longstanding record of having me most Test runs in India since 2016.

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India vs England: Joe Root eyes Steve Smith record in India

30-year-old Joe Root has come a long way since making his Test debut in India in 2012. Root has h a rollercoaster of a career since being picked as a substitute for England's tour of India in 2012. However, over last couple of years, Root has solidified his place in English team for all formats of game, even leing side to ir first-ever World Cup win in 2019. With 8249 runs from his 99 matches, Root is he and shoulders above any still active players in terms of most runs scored in Test matches.

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With almost 17 Tests in offing for English side (including 4 against India in India, 2 against New Zealand and 5 against India at home in just this year), Root is set to surpass many legends on table. Having alrey started out this year with two great innings at Galle, Sri Lanka, skipper will be high on confidence and a major threat to hosts this series. This India vs England series, Root will aim to (and in all probability succeed in) breaking Steve Smith's record for most Test runs me in India since 2016.

Smith's current record stands at 499 runs, while Root follows just 8 runs behind him, with 491 runs. Ar Englishman who would overtake Smith is spinner Moeen Ali, who is at 381 runs. Unsurprisingly, India's very own skipper, Virat Kohli tops this list with a whopping 2,499 runs, leaving . 2 Cheteshwar Pujara (1,990)far behind.

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Joe Root vs Virat Kohli

Joe Root vs Virat Kohli matchup is expected to be a defining feature of series, with both teams banking heavily on ir respective skippers for runs and motivation on field. While Root will be fresh off series from Sri Lanka, Kohli is likely to have h some sleepless nights after birth of his daughter less than a month ago. While he has a definite vant playing at home, he is significantly behind him in terms of Test runs with 7,318 to Root's 8,249. two are perfectly matched, sharing same high score, and with just points separating ir avers and strike rates, making this tussle a very interesting one.

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Im Credits: AP & Steve Smith Twitter