England skipper Joe Root put up a batting exhibition in the first Test against India, scoring a fabulous century at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The 30-year-old, playing his 100th Test match, paced his knock to perfection and toiled the Indian bowlers in the Chennai heat. From pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to spin magician Ravi Ashwin, every bowler became a victim of Root’s masterclass. The England captain didn’t get complacent after reaching the three-figure mark and brought up his 150 on the second day. With this, Root went level with India captain Virat Kohli in scoring the most number of 150-plus scores in Test among active cricketers. India vs England 1st Test 2021 Score Updates Day 2.

Both Kohli and Root now have 10 scores in excess of 150 in the longest format of the game. Among English players, the right-handed batsman is only behind his former captain Alastair Cook who has 11 scores of 150 or more in Test cricket. Notably, this was Root’s third consecutive score of 150 in red-ball cricket. He is only the seventh batsman in history to have secured a hat-trick of such totals. Twitterati in Awe of Joe Root After England Skipper Scores Century.

Meanwhile, Root is still out in the middle and is racing towards his fifth Test double century. England are also cruising towards a mammoth first-innings total as they have lost just four wickets while almost 400 runs have been posted. As of now, the Three Lions are firmly placed on the driver’s seat, and only wickets can bring the home team back in the contest. With the Chennai track deteriorating with time, spin trio of Ravi Ashwin, Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar have a job in hand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2021 01:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).