At last Joe Root has scored a Test hundred in Australia. This was one of the most awaited hundreds in international cricket like Sachin Tendulkar’s wait for his 100th hundred (the gap between his 99th and the 100th was 371 days) or Virat's wait for 1205 days (3 years, 3 months and 17 days) en route to his 28th ton in Tests. Root hit 138* against Australia and became the first English batsman and the fourth overall to score 40 career hundreds in Test cricket (others: Ricky Ponting 41, Jacques Kallis 45 and Sachin Tendulkar 51).
Joe Root’s drought in Australia had become a mystery. The drought had put Root under pressure, and this was probably the last tour for him to end the same. He took off his helmet and raised his bat after scoring a hundred that was long overdue and now, he must be a relieved man.
This doesn’t mean that his batting class in Tests in Australia was under any doubt. He has now scored a hundred but is yet to cross another benchmark. He is one of the four batsman who has Test average of 40+ in at least seven countries (min 10 innings in each country) with Sachin Tendulkar leading the pack with his success in eight countries (others: Younis Khan, Joe Root and Inzamam-ul-Haq), but he is yet to cross this barrier in Australia (37.60 up to Brisbane Test).
