Joe Root's rare feat

Q1) Joe Root scored a 100 in each of his 98th, 99th and 100th Test matches. Has anyone else done this? – K Sharath on Twitter

A) Joe Root at Chennai became the first batsman in Test cricket history to achieve this rare feat of scoring a century in his 98th, 99th and 100th Test match. The others who managed to score centuries in two consecutive Test matches from 98 to 100 Test matches are: 

Note: Ponting case is also unique because he scored a hundred in his 99th match and then two centuries in each innings in his 100th Test match. This made him the only batsman to achieve two hundred in same Test match in his 100th Test match. 

The table below lists all the Test centurions who have made 100s in their 98th, 99th and 100th Test matches and Joe Root is the only name that appears in all three columns.

Q2) Would you be able to find how many games in any format that R Ashwin has played at Chepauk, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the last 5 years? - Vijay Vijayashankar on Twitter

Q3) Since his 98th test Joe Root has scored 180+ runs in three consecutive tests. Who are the others to do so? – Amit Bansal on What’s App

A) Joe Root emulates Kumar Sangakkara to become the only second batsman to make 180+ scores in three consecutive Test matches. England’s Walter Hammond missed this by 3 runs in 1929. The tables below have all the details.

Note: Walter Hammond (England) missed this record by just three runs at Adelaide

251 v Australia (Sydney) Dec 1928

200 v Australia (Melbourne) Dec 1928

177 v Australia (Adelaide) Feb 1929

Q4) Two players, ie Nathan Lyon and Joe Root completed their 100th match against India in successive Test matches. How many times this happened against the same team in history? – Sunny on Twitter

A) Nathan Lyon and Joe Root recently became the 68th and 69th player to achieve this milestone against India in successive Tests at Brisbane and at Chennai, respectively. There have been however, a few instances when two players from the same side and opposite sides have appeared in their 100th Test match in their Test match. The table below has the details.

Note: Also, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis – see below

Q5) Which batsman has reached 1000 runs in a calendar year the fastest? This year it could be Root. - Ritesh Misra on Twitter

A) Joe Root phenomenal run with the bat in 2021 has brought him so far 684 runs in just 39 days. There is an exceptionally good chance that Root could better the current record held by India’s Mohinder Amarnath in the current ongoing series. Amarnath reached his 1000th run in a calendar year on 3 May 1983 in just 123 days. The table below has all the details.

All records mentioned above are correct and updated as on 9 February 2021