Joe Root equals Kumar Sangakkara as England extend dominance against India in Manchester Test
On a day when Joe Root overtook Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to move to third spot in the all-time highest run-scorers list, the Englishman made things a lot more memorable in the post-lunch session.
Root, in his typical constructive fashion, got to his 38th Test ton with a neat leg glance off Anshul Kamboj for a boundary. The century got him level with Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara at fourth spot amongst the most century makers in Test cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45) and Ricky Ponting (41) are above Root at the moment with the Englishman having a realistic chance of at least finishing second in this glorious list.
The release shot came after a few unusually nervy moments for Root when he was on 98 and 99. As soon as he worked the ball towards fine leg, the 'Rooootttttttttt' chants went up in the Old Trafford stands. It was business as usual for England's no.4 as he churned out a near-flawless hundred to extend England's dominance on the third day against India in Manchester.
Root, who began the third day at 11*, took his time early on, as did his partner Ollie Pope to ensure that India didn't get early inroads in the morning. They, however, did keep the scoreboard moving with quick singles and the odd boundary. Root, gradually, brought out his trademark back foot cuts and punches square of the wicket against pace, peppering the area between backward point to third man with panache.
Against the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, Root showed why he is an affluent player of slow bowling, employing the sweeps and reverse sweeps to good effect. He also used his feet, both down the pitch and the depth of the crease, to disrupt India's spinners. Root's 144-run stand with Pope set the foundation for England's strong day although the latter and Harry Brook fell in quick succession.
Root appeared unfazed and found a good partner in skipper Ben Stokes as the veteran partnership zoomed past 50 to ensure that India didn't manage a fightback with the second new ball. In the process, Root got to his deserving three-figure mark with his eyes set on an even bigger score.
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