Root joins elite company with 737 runs in India series

England players pose during the trophy ceremony at Edgbaston in Birmingham. (AFP)

Birmingham: Joe Root has joined a select group of England players after making 737 runs in England’s drawn Test series against India. The former England captain rounded off the campaign with a majestic 142 not out as, alongside Yorkshire teammate Jonny Bairstow (114 not out), he guided England to their highest fourth-innings winning chase of 378-3 during a seven-wicket victory in the fifth Test at Edgbaston yesterday. The win saw England level the five-match series at 2-2. Only four other England batsmen have scored more runs in a series during the 145-year history of Test cricket than Root’s tally in this campaign. Walter Hammond’s 905 runs away to Australia (1928/29 Ashes) remains the most by any England batsman. But Graham Gooch’s 752 runs against India in 1990 was achieved in just 3 Tests with the opener scoring 456 runs in 1 Test at Lord’s alone thanks to innings of 333 and 123.