| Dates: 5-9 February Time: 04:00 GMT |
| Coverage: Live text commentary plus analysis and debate on The Cricket Social on the BBC Sport website and app. Daily Test Match Special podcasts. |
Joe Root will end his career as the greatest England player in history, says former captain Michael Vaughan.
Skipper Root, 30, will play his 100th Test when the four-Test series against India starts on Friday in Chennai.
His tally of 8,249 runs puts him fourth on England’s all-time list, while his average of 49.39 is the ninth highest in history.
“In time we’ll be talking about Joe Root as being England’s best ever player,” said Vaughan.
“He is up there with the best and he will be talked about as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players across all the formats,” he told the Test Match Special podcast.
“He’s going to play many, many more. He’ll get thousands more Test match runs.”
Sir Alastair Cook, who retired in 2018 as England’s leading Test run-scorer with 12,472, said: “In terms of pure talent, hunger and ability, he should probably fly past my record – and he’ll deserve it.”
‘Plenty more fantastic memories to make’
Root made his debut as a 21-year-old at Nagpur in India in 2012, scoring 73 and an unbeaten 20 at number six to help secure the draw that sealed a historic series win.
He has gone on to score 19 centuries and lead England in 46 Tests, and says he wants to “play for as long as possible”.
“It feels like yesterday I was walking out in Nagpur. I don’t know where the time has gone,” Root said.
“Hopefully it’s not near the end of the journey. I believe there’s plenty more games to come and plenty more fantastic memories to make. I’m very excited for this week.
“I love playing for England. I love playing cricket. I love this format and I want to see myself play as long as I’m still enjoying it. For now, I can’t see when that’s going to stop.”
Root says he takes inspiration from team-mates James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England’s most successful fast bowlers who remain key figures in the side aged 38 and 34 respectively.
Anderson has taken 606 wickets in a 157-Test career stretching back to 2003, while Broad has 517 wickets in 144 Tests since 2007.
“I look at someone like Jimmy and Broady and the way they just keep going, keep finding ways to motivate themselves and find new challenges,” said Root. “They just seem to be getting better and better.
“They’re a great inspiration for someone like me, at the point of my career I’m at. Hopefully that fire and that drive stays there and I can keep going.”
Vaughan said: “If his back stays fresh and it stays OK, I reckon he’ll be the Jimmy Anderson of the batting brigade.
“No-one is going to stop Joe Root from playing cricket for England if he’s fit enough to do so.”
‘I never thought he would be this good’
Root topped the International Cricket Council Test batting rankings for the first time in 2015 and currently sits fifth on the list after making 228 and 186 in England’s series win in Sri Lanka in January.
“When I first saw him in Nagpur I don’t think even I would have said he’d be as good as he is now,” said Cook, who played alongside Root in 74 of his record 161 Tests.
“He was always going to be a very good player but he’s almost improved beyond what I thought.”
Vaughan, who led England in 51 of his 82 Tests, said: “What impresses me most is his drive to get better all the time.
“Three or four years ago I thought he was a world-class performer. He got a hundred at Trent Bridge in a one-day game. I thought it was one of the great one-day hundreds.
“I was driving back home, the phone rang and it was Joe. He asked me if I could see anything that could improve his game. “
Root said: “I’ve never really been one for numbers; I’ve been more about winning games.
“At the end of my career I’ll probably look at things slightly differently. But for now all I’m concerned about is doing my part for the team.”
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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