England batter Jonny Bairstow will play his 100th Test when he takes the field in the IND vs ENG 5th Test. Ahead of the milestone, England teammate and Bairstow’s close friend Joe Root has opened up on what makes Bairstow a legend of the game. According to Root, Bairstow’s ability to excel in pressure situations makes him stand apart from others.
Bairstow has been a loyal servant of England cricket since making his debut in 2012. The batter-keeper has scored 5974 runs 99 Test matches so far, scoring runs at an average of just over 36. Root, in a homage to his teammate in Sky Sports, revealed that Bairstow’s ability to deliver under pressure is the most positive trait about him. He recalled an instance during their early playing days involving Sir Geoffrey Boycott.
“He (Bairstow) likes to wear his emotions on his sleeve which I think makes him what he is. It brings the best out of him,” Root said.
“A good example of that was at the end of one of the seasons at Yorkshire when he had just broken into the first team. Me and Gary Ballance were coming through in the second team and we were all called into a meeting with the president at the time which was Sir Geoffrey Boycott.
“He said to Bairstow, ‘Jonny, you have had an exceptional year in the second team and come into the first team and got four or five brilliant fifties – but I have got 151 first-class hundreds so if you want to borrow one you can because you have not looked like converting one of those!’
“I think one of Jonny’s very next games he scored a double hundred. That is one of the examples of him going out and showing everyone how good he is, making a point when needed,” Root recalled.
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