England batter Harry Brook has hailed teammate Joe Root and believes that veteran is the he is the best Test batter of all time.
Root climbed atop the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings following a century during England’s thrilling win in the Lord’s Test against India.
Speaking ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester, Brook waxed lyrical of the seasoned campaigner.
“Everybody wants to be number one, don’t they? Him (Root), probably more than anybody else,” Brook told reporters.
“He’s a phenomenal player, I’m not in the same league as him. I’ll happily let him have it. He’s played for 12-13 years. In my opinion, he is the best Test batter of all time. So, I’ll let him have that.”
England’s white-ball skipper also recalled the moment when he first climbed atop the Men’s Test Batting Rankings during England’s tour of New Zealand last year.
“He did (speak to me about it) the first time, when we were in New Zealand. He gave me a handshake. And then he took it off me, three days later,” Brook said on a lighter note.
Both Brook and Root have contributed with the bat during England’s ongoing five-Test series against India.
While Brook has 314 runs to his name in the series, Root has amassed 253 from the three Tests, each of them boasting a century each.
The hosts are currently 2-1 up in the ICC World Test Championship series but Brook believes England will err on the side of the caution, given India’s bouncebackability.
“Obviously, we’re in a strong position. We’re happy with the way the games have gone so far. They’ve been tense, they’ve been good to watch.
“We’re looking forward to this week. Another different challenge, depending on the surface. But yeah, India are a very strong side.
“They can bounce back at any stage. We saw that after we beat them in Headingley, they came back and had excellent an form at Edgbaston. We’re going to go out there and do our thing.”
The fourth Test between England and India will begin from July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester.
