Joe Root
Joe Root did not give India spinners much time to settle as well.Reuters

Is Joe Root one of the best batsmen in world cricket? The answer will, has to, be yes as he proved it yet again with a brilliant ton in the first Test match between India and England in Rajkot. This is Root's 11th ton, and he has just played 49 matches, which reflects his class and skill with the willow in his hand. He belongs to the class of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Kane Williamson amongst current batsmen. 

Root, coming into bat at number three after England lost the wicket of Alastair Cook, who was dropped twice by the India fielders, looked calm and composed early on. The stylish English batsman got off the mark with a brilliant drive, which must have given a huge sigh of relief. Irrespective of whether you are Root or any other batsman, you do not really settle in unless you mark one run against your name.

From there on, the right-hander looked in good control of his innings. It did not matter who the bowler was at the other end. He was determined, middling the ball with top perfection, and scored runs against all India bowlers including R Ashwin.

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Even though wickets were falling at the other end, he held his ground and did not give much chance to his opponents. He was defending the good balls and hitting any loose ball, which was asking to be scored of, which is a hallmark of a great batsman.

As the match progressed, Root began to look even more confident. With Moeen Ali providing good support at the other end, the Englishman scored runs off the spinners and the seamers. India captain did not have much answer to Root's brilliance. Though Root survived a close call as Umesh Yadav trapped him leg before but the umpire gave not out. Kohli wanted the help of DRS, which stood with the umpire's decision.

Moments later, Root completed his well compiled hundred with a couple in the leg side in the 68th over of the match. The right-hander scored his 100 from 154 balls, which has put England in strong position. They have added more than 280 runs, and the match is presently going on, with Root batting at 123 runs.