India vs England: Joe Root hits 5th double ton, gets there in Virender Sehwag style

When one thinks about getting to a landmark with a six, the immediate cricketers one can think off is Virender Sehwag and Brendon McCullum. The Delhi batsman made a habit of reaching his century, double century or triple century with a six or a four. The interesting fact is both did it regularly during their triple centuries against Pakistan and India in 2004 and 2014 respectively. During the second day of the Chennai Test between India and England at the MA Chidambaram stadium, Joe Root managed to channel his inner Virender Sehwag and created history. Joe Root came down the track to Ravichandran Ashwin and launched him over long-on for a six as he notched up a fantastic double century.

Joe Root scored his fifth double century and he is now level with his former captain Alastair Cook who also has five double centuries to his name. However, Joe Root trails Wally Hammond in the number of double centuries, with Hammond scoring seven 200+ scores in his career. The England skipper thus became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score a double century in his 100^th Test. The previous highest score was 184 by Inzamam-ul-Haq during the Bangalore Test against India in 2005 which Pakistan won. Joe Root also became the first cricketer from England to reach his double century with a six.

The Yorkshire right-hander joined Matthew Hayden, Dean Jones, Mike Gatting and Graham Fowler as the other overseas players to have scored a double ton at the MA Chidambaram stadium. However, Joe Root was on the cusp of becoming the highest individual scorer for an overseas player at Chepauk when he headed into the tea break at 209*. The highest score in Chennai is 210 which was hit by Dean Jones of Australia in that epic tied Test in 1986.

Records galore for Root

Joe Root has been in fabulous form at the start of 2021 when he hit 228 and 186 in the first two Tests against Sri Lanka in Galle. Joe Root also has won five out of five games as captain of England when they have toured the sub-continent. This includes a historic 3-0 sweep of Sri Lanka in 2018 when they became the second overseas team after Australia to have achieved this feat in an Asian nation.

Joe Root also has an average in excess of 60 against India and in the last series in 2016, he hit fifty-plus scores in every Test which included a magnificent century in Rajkot. England has reached 450 and they would be looking to score in excess of 550 to ensure that they do not lose this Test in a dramatic fashion. England needs to win three out of the four Tests if they have to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Lord’s in June 2021.