Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes that England captain Joe Root is a brilliant batsman but he isn’t the best in the world, saying the Englishman is just a notch below the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson despite his current scintillating form with the bat.
Root has notched up triple figures in his last three outings in the Asian conditions in Test cricket, hitting 228 and 186 runs to help England win the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka last month.
The right-hander also took his terrific form to India, as he notched up another match-winning knock of 218 runs, in his 100th Test, to help England record a memorable 227-run win in the first Test in Chennai.
During a discussion on Star Sports Network, Gavaskar was asked if he currently considers Root as the best batsman in the world. However, the batting great admitted that Root is among the “Fab Four”, but not the best one in the world according to him.
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He believes that Kohli, Smith, and Williamson are slightly better batsmen than Root while saying his double ton was the major difference in England’s massive win over India in the first Test.
Gavaskar said of Root on Star Sports Network: “He is very very good. But I don't think he is the best batsman in the world. There are four contenders for that and he is amongst the four contenders. But I think he is just a notch below the other three.”
On his double century in Chennai, he added: “What was most impressive about Joe Root's double ton was the fact that he was so confident from the word go and the positivity with which he moved either forward or he went back.
He made sure when he was forward, he was smothering the turn and when he was back, he was making sure that he had the room to play the cut shot or the pull shot.”
Hailing Root for the perfect execution of his sweep shot against India attack, Gavaskar signed off by saying: “And then, of course, the use of the sweep shot against the spinners. That was very calculated; it wasn't just a random sweep shot. It was a very thoughtful sweep shot and that is the reason he has been so successful in the subcontinent in the last three Test matches.”
