Watch: Ben Stokes' million-dollar reaction to Joe Root's century in Ranchi Test goes viral

England batsman Joe Root was finally able to break his string of low scores and smashed the first hundred of the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series.

Root reached the three-figure mark in 219 balls and hit a cover drive against Indian pacer Akash Deep to complete his century. English captain Ben Stokes was also pumped up after Root was able to reach his hundred and expressed his happiness from the dressing room.

Joe Root, who is currently the highest run scorer against India in Tests, was once again expected to score most runs in the series. However, Root got out for low scores and struggled to play the Indian bowlers. There were times when the right-handed batter tried to play attacking shots but in the end, got out cheaply as he failed to execute them.

Watch: Ben Stokes pumped up after Joe Root reaches century

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There had been a lot of debate regarding, Root’s shot selection, however, the English management kept their faith in the Yorkshire batsman, and at last he was able to deliver at the very right time.

Returning to the action, England got off to a good start with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley adding 47 runs off 57 balls for the first wicket. Duckett was dismissed for 11 runs off 21 balls by debutant Akash Deep. Duckett was caught behind, allowing wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel to make an easy catch. Akash proceeded to shoot with the ball, dismissing Ollie Pope for a duck. The Bengal bowler dismissed well-set Crawley for 42 runs off 42 deliveries. He hit six fours and one six during his time at the crease.

Joe Root took the England innings ahead, scoring 52 runs for the fourth wicket alongside Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow was looking fine until he was caught in front by Ravichandran Ashwin while sweeping the ball. Bairstow was out after scoring 38 runs off 35 balls. Ben Stokes, England’s captain, too struggled against Ravindra Jadeja, being dismissed for three runs off six balls. Ben Foakes had a decent partnership with Joe Root, but he was removed by Mohammed Siraj off a beauty.

Before getting out Ben Foakes added 113 runs from 261 balls for the sixth wicket along with Joe Root. However, the wickets continued to tumble from one end, Joe Root smashed a welcome half-century from 108 balls. Root played some decent shots throughout his innings and showcased brilliant balance at the crease.

Root now will be looking forward to helping England reach a big innings score against India and keep the hosts under pressure.

England have not made any change to their batting lineup but have brought in Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir in place of Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed. The English management didn’t replace James Anderson, who was hit for a lot of runs in the third Test match.

The Indian squad addressed most of its worries, and nearly all of its players performed admirably. India will be full of confidence following their massive 434-run victory over the Three Lions, and they will be looking to win the series in Ranchi.