Joe Root, the captain of England, is chosen the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021 on Monday. To earn the accolade, Root beat out New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne, and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

"I am delighted to have got the ICC men's Test player of the year award. I'm honoured to be in the presence of so many talented players from across the world. Receiving this honour means a lot to me. I'd want to express my gratitude to my family, teammates, and coaches for their unquestioning support throughout the year "Root said.

Root's incredible record in 2021 can be summarised up in one simple statistic: he has become only the third player in Test cricket history to score over 1700 runs in a calendar year. He is just ahead of Mohammad Yousuf and Sir Vivian Richards. Root stood tall and a class apart in England's batting line, despite the fact that England only won four of 15 Tests in 2021, including the Ashes in Australia and series against India and New Zealand.

Root conquered all conditions, whether in Asia or at home, and against various bowling attacks, with some great innings. His hundreds against Sri Lanka in Galle and India in Chennai, followed by an undefeated 180 against the same opposition at Lord's, were among the best innings seen in the modern era and will be remembered for a long time.

Root also contributed with the ball, taking 14 wickets, including a five-for in the Ahmedabad pink-ball Test. In his own words, Root cites the Chennai Test against India as one of the highlights of his 2021 season. Root conquered all conditions, whether in Asia or at home, and against various bowling attacks, with some great innings. His hundreds against Sri Lanka in Galle and India in Chennai, followed by an undefeated 180 against the same opposition at Lord's, were among the best innings seen in the modern era and will be recalled for a long time.

Root also contributed with the ball, taking 14 wickets, including a five-for in the Ahmedabad pink-ball Test. In his own words, Root cites the Chennai Test against India as one of the highlights of his 2021 season.

"If I had to pick one hundred matches, it would probably be the one against India in Chennai, the opening Test of the series and also my 100th game. That is something that will stay with me for a long time. Hopefully, there will be a lot more this year."

Root's 218 in the opening Test of the four-match series against India in Chennai was a batting gem. With ease, he smacked aside a superb bowling assault, combining pace and spin. This was a continuation of his form from the Sri Lankan series, where he was once again outstanding.

The Indian bowlers had no answers for Root's conundrum, as he set up a 227-run triumph for the visitors after batting for 377 deliveries. This was also a foreshadowing of things to come for the rest of the year, as the England captain delivered knock after knock of the highest order, regardless of the opposition's bowling.

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