Joe Root nears Sri Lankan legend's massive world record ahead of Chennai Test

England upstaged India by 227 runs to go 1-0 up in the four-match series at Chennai. Captain Joe Root was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his twin batting heroics across both innings of the one-sided Test match. Remarkably, Root is also on the verge of levelling up with legendry Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for a major Test record.

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Joe Root just behind Muttiah Muralitharan ahead of Chennai Test for a rare record

Joe Root celebrated his 100th Test match with a ‘Player of the Match’ (POTM) award as well as with a convincing victory over a strong Indian line-up. Back in January, the cricketer also won the award in both Tests at Galle against Sri Lanka. Root has now won three such awards back-to-back in Test cricket, thus equalling legendary players like Ian Botham, Wasim Akram, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis and Steve Harmison.  

With three successive awards, the England captain is just one POTM performance away from equalling the world record, currently held by Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan. Muralitharan achieved the feat back in 2001 with dazzling bowling performances across four Tests against India (1), Bangladesh (1) and West Indies (2). Root can replicate the same if he delivers another game-changing performance against India in the second Test.

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A look into Joe Root centuries and career stats

The Joe Root career stats composes of some staggering numbers. Across 100 Tests for his country, the right-handed batsman has aggregated 8,507 runs at an average of 50.33. The Joe Root centuries section includes 20 tons for the cricketer, with his highest score remains the 254 he slammed against Pakistan back in 2016 at Old Trafford.

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India vs England 2021 updates

England’s 227-run win takes them 1-0 up in a series, that also forms a part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship. The two teams will now collide in the second Test match at the same venue. The match is scheduled to be played between February 13 and 17. Here is a schedule of the entire India vs England 2021 series, that spans four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs over a month-and-a-half long tour.

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