England skipper Root hits ton in 100th Test
AFP
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Skipper Joe Root hit a sparkling century in his 100th Test to help England start solidly in the opening Test against India on Friday.
Root took a single off spinner Washington Sundar to complete his 20th Test ton, and raised his bat to an applauding England dressing room in Chennai.
The in-form batsman -- who made his Test debut in India in 2012 and is playing after match-winning knocks of 228 and 186 in Sri Lanka -- swept the the Indian spinners around the stadium as he reached the landmark in 164 balls.
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He joined England greats Colin Cowdrey and Alec Stewart in getting a hundred in their 100th Test.
Root, however, is the first to score a century in his 98th, 99th and 100th Test.
Root was batting alongside, Dom Sibley, on 83, as the duo put on an unbroken 164-run stand to steer England to 227 for two after batting first at the start of the four-match series.
The 30-year-old Root, who has scored over 8,000 runs at an average of over 49, is the 15th England player in 144 years of Test cricket to have appeared in a hundred matches.
