The inevitability of the Joe Root Test ton in Australia

Ben Stokes was waiting near the English dug-out as Joe Root walked off the Gabba late on Thursday night. "Yes Joee.." he yelled out as Root neared the ropes, still holding his bat aloft towards the English fans in the Members' Area.

Root was in the zone, barely turning towards his dug-out or his captain. Instead, he walked straight towards a young Australian fan for a selfie, then disappeared into the tunnel.

Like it was simply another day in the office. Not a profound one, where Root had finally ended one of the most talked about ruts: scoring an elusive Test century on Australian soil. It seemed this moment meant more to his teammates, fans, and English cricket than to Joe Root himself.

Not that he didn't understand its gravitas or celebrate with enthusiasm. But from his shrug after reaching his maiden away Ashes century to how he resurrected England's shaky innings, Root didn't make as big a deal of it as everyone else.

It felt inevitable—like Mitchell Starc running in to take wickets. No one thought Root would finish his career without a three-figure score here. It was only a matter of when. Day 1 of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba in December 2025 became the setting.

He was already a great batter; he didn't need this ton to change that. But now he's greater in every estimation.

Signs were there before the Perth Test, where he worked diligently to adjust his natural tendency to guide balls outside off-stump toward third with a horizontal bat. It didn't work against Mitchell Starc there, but unlike past tours, Root seemed unfazed by the double failure.

He sounded undaunted too. How often does the second-highest Test run-getter of all time have to say, "I know I'm a good batter," when asked about his lack of a century in Australia?

During England's first Gabba training session, Root obsessed over facing left-arm throwdowns but soon settled into his trademark rhythm. Whether adjusting to combat Aussie bowlers—stepping down against Scott Boland or playing fierce cut shots—or facing hundreds of throwdowns to master straighter bat paths and eliminate characteristic dismissals, he was focused.

The coaches seemed more excited, yelling praises like, "Yesss Joe, you bloody legend." Root's reactions ranged from a polite nod to a quiet, "That did feel good."

You could almost imagine the 34-year-old muttering those words as he righted the one wrong in his illustrious Test career under the Gabba lights.

For context, it took Ricky Ponting 12 years and 15 innings to score his first Test ton in India, in Bengaluru 2008. Root took double the innings for his first in Australia. Though the drought spanned the same years, it felt longer due to incessant scrutiny.

But through it all, you never doubted Joe Root would get over the line. Joe Root certainly never doubted it.