Unstoppable Root equals Kohli, Smith's tally of 27 Test tons with yet another imperious ton

Former England Test skipper Joe Root's run-scoring juggernaut continued on Sunday (June 12) as he eased his way to yet another Test hundred and equalled his fellow 'Fab-four' member Virat Kohli and Steve Smith's tally of 27 hundreds.

Root notched up his 27th Test ton on the third day of the ongoing Test against New Zealand on what has turned out to be a flat track at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Root came in to bat during the 42nd over of England's innings following the fall of opener Alex Lees' wicket, and right from the very first delivery he faced, the Yorkshireman didn't look in any sort of trouble.

He was bit lucky to get away with a thick inside edge, which, on any other day, could have easily crashed into the stumps, but such is the form of Root these days that, instead, it ran away for a boundary.

This is Root's tenth Test century since the start of 2021 and his fourth in 13 innings this year. 

A week ago, the right-handed batter smashed an unbeaten ton in the second innings of the Lord's Test to help England claim their first win in the format since August 2021. During his knock, he also became the first active player of his generation to rack up 10000 runs in the format.

It's been a remarkable last 18 months for Root - the batter. While England have struggled as a team, Root has been a lone warrior with the bat, and through the course of this run-making glut, he has also bridged the century gap between him and the likes of Kohli and Smith.

At the start of 2021, Kohli and Smith had 27 and 26 tons, respectively, while Root had just 17. 

Eighteen months later, Virat is still at 27 (in 171 innings), while Smith has only managed to add one more to his tally - 27 in 151. Williamson, on the other hand, has 24 Test tons.

With Root at the height of his powers and England playing the maximum number of Tests than any other nation, it is safe to assume that the English cricketer could well leave his contemporaries behind as far as scoring most centuries is concerned.