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 the game. It will be a poignant moment for the Brit as he takes to the middle of the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday morning, for not 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 made the 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 had a rollercoaster of a career since being picked as a substitute for England's tour of India in 2012. However, over the last couple of years, Root has solidified his place in the English team for all formats of the game, even leading the side to their first-ever World Cup win in 2019. With 8249 runs from his 99 matches, Root is head 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 the offing for the 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 the table. Having already started out this year with two great innings at Galle, Sri Lanka, the skipper will be high on confidence and a major threat to the hosts this series. This India vs England series, Root will aim to (and in all probability succeed in) breaking Steve Smith's record for the most Test runs made in India since 2016.

Smith's current record stands at 499 runs, while Root follows just 8 runs behind him, with 491 runs. Another 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 No. 2 Cheteshwar Pujara (1,990)far behind.

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Joe Root vs Virat Kohli

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

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Image Credits: AP & Steve Smith Twitter