The England batter Joe Root has praised his fellow teammate, Jonny Bairstow who is set to make his 100th test appearance on the fifth test of England’s tour of India 2024.
Joe Root on Jonny Bairstow’s 100th Test
England Cricketer Joe Root has mentioned his team-mate Jonny Bairstow as resilient who is set to play his 100th test match at Dharamsala on March 07.
Bairstow is one of the notable players of England cricket who has played 99 test matches for England, amassing 5974 runs with an average of 37.43. It includes 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries. He will become the 17th English cricketer to play 100 or more test matches.
Root said that Bairstow had to deal with a lot of change which shows his comeback as a player. Jonny Bairstow made his Test debut in 2012 and has been a constant in their England side since then.
“He has had to deal with a lot of change and being moved around, whether throughout the order, keeping or playing just as a batter. That is part and parcel of international cricket.”
“You have to fit into the team and to go on and play 100 Test matches proves that he has been able to do that for long periods of time and offered a huge amount to English cricket,” said Root.
“It also shows the resilience of the player to be able to come back and almost have to remodel yourself into a different role within the team and still have such an impact,” Root added.
Joe Root added that Bairstow has been impressive since his comeback from injury, insisting that the player has been consistent in two formats of games.
“He has played some vital innings since that major leg break he had a couple of years ago. It is amazing for him to come back from that as he has done.
You also have to factor in that for a long time he has been a major part of all three teams – Test, ODI, and T20 – and the wear and mental fatigue that can have on players,” said Root.
“To continually be consistent is a very hard thing to do and throughout his career, he has always been at the top of at least one or two of those formats. That is an incredible feat,” Root added.
However, the Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is also awaiting his 100th test after playing 99 matches in the format. India has already clinched victory in the series 3-1 following the five-wicket victory in the fourth test at Ranchi.
India and England will be playing their fifth and final match of the series starting on March 07 at HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala.
