“He has been something else for a long period of time” – Kane Williamson hails ‘phenomenal’ Joe Root

New Zealand talismanic batter Kane Williamson has lauded phenomenal Joe Root, who has been in splendid form in the recent past. Root has been in sublime form in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. The former England captain has amassed 350 runs in the first two Test matches at an unbelievable average of 116.67, including two centuries against the visitors.

However, Root was dismissed after scoring 13 runs in the first innings of the third Test match against the tourists at Kennington Oval, London on Friday.

Root has also been backed by many experts to leapfrog Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of most runs in Test cricket. Tendulkar mustered 15921 runs in 200 Test matches whereas Root has gathered 12390 runs.

Kane Willamson said while talking to reporters ahead of the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, “You mentioned Joe Root. He has been something else for a long period of time. Obviously, there is a lot of attention on what he might be able to achieve in a number of years and it’s just incredible that that conversion can even be had. He has been phenomenal.”

Williamson also showered praise on Virat Kohli and Steve Smith for moving the sport in the right direction.

“I have been a big fan of Kohli. Not just him, but the other guys as well, amazing how they have sort of moved the game forward in a big way,” he added.

The veteran batter admitted they are going to be challenged by Afghanistan while playing in the Indian conditions.

“I mean, we are absolutely going to be challenged in a number of ways. But, the opportunity to have a block here for us as a team to look have the sort of experiences that we are going to have for the next sort of two-and-a-half months and be better for it. It’s an exciting opportunity. Nice to be here, preparing for the first Test. We are looking to take those small steps and try and get familiar with those conditions,” said Williamson.

“In some ways, it’s like a tournament sport, even though it’s over a long period of time in the Test championship. Naturally, having six Test matches together is a big part of our calendar. It’s one that we are very excited about.”

The one-off Test match between New Zealand and Afghanistan will be played at Greater Noida, starting Monday.