'Morning, India': England great takes cheeky dig at Virat Kohli; compares his Test stats with Joe Root

As Joe Root continues his journey towards greatness, England fans and former players are reveling in the accomplishments of their former Test captain. During the opening day of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka, Root led England's resurgence, guiding them from 130/4 to 358/7 by stumps. In the process, Root secured his 33rd Test century, the highest among active Test cricketers and tying Alastair Cook for the most Test centuries by an English batsman. Currently, Root leads the pack, with Kane Williamson (32), Steve Smith (32), and Virat Kohli (29) following closely behind.

The renowned "Fab Four" of the past decade continue to showcase their prowess, with Kohli of India surprisingly lagging behind in terms of Test centuries. While Kohli holds the record for the most centuries in ODIs, he finds himself at the bottom of the list among the four former captains in Test cricket. Additionally, Kohli ranks as the second-most experienced player, with Root leading the way at 144 Tests, followed by Smith at 109 and Williamson at 100 Tests.

The statistics surrounding Joe Root and Virat Kohli have added an intriguing element to their respective careers. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has taken it upon himself to delve into these numbers, comparing the performances of the two cricketing giants. In a playful jab at Indian fans, Vaughan highlighted some key stats that showcase Root's superiority over Kohli in Test cricket.

Morning India  pic.twitter.com/Ax5g75yLyS

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) August 30, 2024

Despite making his debut more than a year after Kohli, Root currently holds the edge in terms of runs, strike-rate, and average. This may have ruffled the feathers of Kohli's fanbase, but it is important to note that Root has played 31 more Tests and batted in 72 more innings than Kohli. This age gap in experience explains the disparity in numbers between the two players.

Root's impressive record of 12131 runs surpasses Kohli's 8848 runs by a significant margin of 3290 runs. Additionally, Root boasts a higher average of 50.33 compared to Kohli's 49.15, albeit by a narrow margin. 

Root has a superior strike rate, scoring at 56.70 compared to Kohli's 55.56. While the margin of difference may seem slight, it still leans in favor of the England great. Root boasts 64 half-centuries compared to Kohli's 30 and has hit more sixes (44) than the Indian batting stalwart.

For a significant period, Root and Kohli were neck-and-neck in their progress. However, Kohli fell behind due to a lean 16-month period that drastically impacted his scores. Between November 2019 and March 2022, Kohli failed to score a century, and a slump in form in the first half of 2022 caused his average to drop below 50 for the first time in years.

During this period, Kohli's contemporaries, including Williamson, Smith, and Root, surged ahead, scoring centuries at a much higher frequency. In terms of runs, Kohli ranks third among the Fab Four, with Smith in second place with 9685 runs and counting. Williamson is close behind Kohli with 8743 runs.

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