Root has pulled above the other Test batters averaging 56.25 in the last two years. He is the only player with more than 2,000 runs since November 2022 and has the third-best average among batters with at least 1,500 runs in this period. Root has also made 17 fifty-plus scores, the most among all batters, cementing his place as one of the modern-day greats.
He has also outshone his contemporaries in the Fab Four, surging past Virat Kohli and Steven Smith of late, leaving the elusive club to stand on the legs of Kane Williamson, who averages 65.78 in the last two years, alongside Root. Kohli had two Test tons in the last five years before India’s tour of Australia while Smith’s average had fallen below 30 in the last 12 months.
On Sunday (November 24), though, Kohli, registered his 81st international hundred, scoring his seventh ton in Australia, a knock that also took his Test average over 48. The No.4 batter needed 143 balls to get to his 30th century, surpassing Donald Bradman’s record. Kohli also now has the second-most Test centuries in Australia among visiting batters, with only Jack Hobbs (9) ahead of him. Overall, Kohli has made 1,457 runs in the country at an average of 56.03, with four fifties as well.
A 10-year challenge in some style! ⭐️#ViratKohli #India #AUSvsIND #Cricket #Tests pic.twitter.com/W6XyD4Ujze
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) November 24, 2024
Lehmann applauded Kohli’s efforts and said that world-class players perform all over the world, something Root has not achieved according to him. The former England captain has made 21 of his 35 Test hundreds at home and is yet to reach three figures in Australia, where he averages 35.68 across three tours. In 14 Tests, he has made 892 runs with a high score of 89.
Speaking on ABC Sport, he said: “Joe Root is a great player, but is he an all-time great? He’s had four [three] goes in the Ashes, hasn’t made a hundred.”
On being asked if he was in the same category as Smith and Kohli, Lehmann said, “Nope, a rung below for that reason. They’ve made runs all over the world in difficult conditions against different oppositions. And that’s the only thing stopping Joe Root. I think he’s a great player, but is he in that upper echelon?
“So, I don’t have him in that realm. I think you’ve got to make hundreds all around the world. Smith does, Williamson has, Kohli has, [Rohit] Sharma has - I mean they’re world-class players.”
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