Sir Cook in awe of Root, calls him 'England's greatest'

Sir Alastair Cook is highly impressed with the former English Test captain Joe Root, who just broke Cook’s record of the most Test centuries by an English batter. 

England are busy in the ongoing three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka. After winning the Test series opener by five wickets, England are dominating in the second Test at Lord’s. 

In both innings of the ongoing Lord’s Test, Joe Root scored centuries. After scoring 143 runs in the first innings, Root scored 103 runs during England’s second innings. He became the only fourth batter and third English batter to record centuries in both innings of a Lord’s Test.

With his first innings century in the ongoing Lord’s Test, Root completed his 33rd Test hundred. It was the equal of Sir Alastair Cook’s 33 Test centuries, who was holding the record for most Test centuries by an English batter. With his latest Test hundred, Root set a new record for most Test centuries by an English batter with 34 Test hundreds. 

He is quite simply England's greatest: Sir Alastair Cook on Joe Root

Sir Alastair Cook called Root England’s greatest and genius. 

Cook said on the BBC, "He is quite simply England's greatest, and it's right that he should have this record, on his own. We are watching a genius.”

Cook further praised Root by calling the 33-year-old batter a master. 

Cook continued, "I don't think there's a batsman that I can remember watching play...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's in great form, but it's just a pleasure to watch a master, a craftsman at work.”

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He's scoring 10,000 runs: Sir Alastair Cook's prediction during Joe Root's early international career

Although Cook wasn’t impressed with Root in his early first-class career, the legendary left-handed batter was highly impressed when he first saw Root’s batting in Test cricket. 

Cook added, "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.”

In his 145 Tests, Joe Root has scored 12377 runs with an average of 50.93, including 34 centuries and 64 half-centuries. With 96 more Test runs, Root will become the most Test run-scorer by an English batter by breaking Sir Alastair Cook’s record of 12472 runs in 161 Tests. 

Root is now in seventh place in the list of most Test runs. The English right-handed batter is 3544 Test runs behind the most Test runs record-holder, the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (15921 Test runs).