Saba Karim, an ex-BCCI selector, believes Joe Root has left Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson far behind in the ‘Fab Four’ race.
In the fourth innings of the Lord’s Test between England and New Zealand, Root made an unbeaten 115. The win gave Ben Stokes’ side a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after they chased down a 277-run target.
Saba Karim on Joe Root
During the first Test match between England and New Zealand, former England captain Joe Root played an excellent knock and also crossed 10,000 runs in Test Cricket. As a result, his team won the match by five wickets, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series.
Root has received praise from all corners of the cricketing world in the aftermath of his outstanding century. Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selector Saba Karim has lauded Root’s batting in the first Test match, adding another name to the list.
“He has gone far ahead. If we see England’s batting, only Joe Root’s name is coming up again and again. It means Joe Root has not got support from the other end. If we talk about India, with Virat Kohli there is always support like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant among others. That is the situation in New Zealand and Australia too. Even in overseas conditions like in India or in Sri Lanka, Root has singlehandedly won England matches,” Saba Karim said.
“Joe Root has left the other three batters far behind in the last two years. Whether we talk about consistency, technique, or temperament, in all these aspects Joe Root is above everyone at the moment. If somebody is batting well in the fourth innings, it shows that the guy is strong both technically and mentally,” Karim added.
Following their victory in the first Test, the Three Lions will now face New Zealand in the second Test match of the series, which will begin on June 10.
