England captain Joe Root missed out on yet another Test century. After his ton against the West Indies in August last year, Root has now scored 11 fifties without converting them it into three figures.
But Root averages 52 in Tests and is the fastest Englishman to 6,000 Test runs, you say? He is still scoring runs so what’s the issue here?
Root scored a sublime 80 against India on the first day of the Birmingham Test and missed three figures after misjudging a a run for two and was beaten by Virat Kohli’s throw.
He scored successive centuries in the ODIs against India but the three-figure mark eluded him in Tests yet again.
The fact is Root is scoring runs. But it is big runs that separate the good from the great. He finds himself bracketed with Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steven Smith as the finest batsmen of this generation. But the longer Root fails to reach a ton, the further the other three inch away.
The England skipper is constantly battling perceptions. He is not considered a good T20 player. Recently, it was thought he might lose his ODI spot as well but roared back into form. But the perceptions simply don’t go away. They buzz around, posing irritating questions about your abilities.
His century drought has another repercussion. It puts the onus on other players to score big. Because fifties don’t win you Test series, big hundreds do. Which is why players like Kohli and Smith are regarded highly because they latch on and don’t let go until they have had their fill.
Root will score a century at some point. But he will think about the tons he missed. Because it is not a coincidence that his run of fifties has coincided with England winning just two out of their last 10 Tests.
