NEW DELHI: Sir Alastair Cook on Saturday praised Joe Root after he surpassed the former skipper's record of most Test centuries for England.
Root achieved his 34th Test century in the second innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's Stadium, scoring 103 runs off 121 balls.
With the performance, Root surpassed Cook's tally of 33 Test centuries, becoming the most successful English batter in terms of centuries.
Cook referred to Root as 'England's greatest', and hailed him as a 'genius' for his craftsmanship at the crease.
Speaking on the BBC Test Match Special commentary, Cook expressed his admiration for Root's batting prowess.
"He is quite simply England's greatest, and it is absolutely right that he should have this record, on his own. Take it in, Joe. We are watching a genius."
"I do not think there is a batsman that I can remember watching play (who shares) the sense of inevitability about scoring runs that Joe Root gives off. I called it when he was on about 6 today, that he was going to get 100. I know he is in great form, but it is just a pleasure to watch a master, a craftsman at work," said Cook.
Cook reminisced about Root's early days, recalling their first encounter in a List A match in 2009 when Root made his debut with Yorkshire.
Cook admitted he did not see Root as a 'great player' back then. "He could not get the ball off the square," Cook recalled. "Everyone said, 'he's a good player', but I did not see that," he added. Root scored 63 off 95 balls on his debut in List A format.
Three years later, Cook was England's captain when Root made his international debut in the final Test of the 2012 series against India in Nagpur.
Root scored 73 and 20* in a match that ended in a draw. Cook noted the mental readiness Root displayed for Test cricket from his first time at the crease.
"The only check was when he walked out to bat for the first time, how he would handle it. The game was in the balance and he walked out to bat with his England cap on, looking 13, massive smile on his face. I watched his first few balls, and I was like, 'This bloke is here to stay.' I honestly said, 'He's scoring 10,000 runs.' I don't know who I said it to, but I know that I said it," he concluded.
Root, now 32, has played 145 Test matches, accumulating 12,377 runs at an average of 50.93, with 34 centuries and 64 fifties. His highest individual score in Test cricket is 254.
Root, who now has 50 international centuries places him among legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Mahela Jayawardene, and Brian Lara.
English (US) ·