Root pleased to 'set the example' for England by scoring fantastic hundred

It was the England captain's 15th Test hundred, and his first away from home since he took over the captaincy from Alastair Cook in 2017

England have never lost a Test in which Joe Root has scored a hundred, and that could well continue to be the case after he scored a potentially series-winning hundred on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.

England finished the day on 324-9, with a lead of 278, mostly down to Root's magnificent 124. 

It was Root's 15th Test hundred, and his first away from home since he took over the captaincy from Alastair Cook in 2017. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly claimed it was one of the finest hundreds you would see on a spinning wicket.

"What a performance from Joe Root and England on that surface," he tweeted. "One of the best Test hundreds one will see on a pitch which is turning square."

When posed to Root that it might be his best hundred, the Yorkshireman admitted it was a very good one.

^{Joe Root scored his 15th Test hundred}

"They're all different but that was a thoroughly enjoyable one today," he told Sky Sports. "It was obviously challenging on that surface.

"The most pleasing thing for me was we asked the guys to play in a certain manner and when you come to this part of the world and in these conditions, you want to set the example and you want to lead from the front, playing in that manner yourself.

"For it to come off, as it has today, is really pleasing."

Though Root's innings was by far the best performance from an England batsman, he did receive able support from Ben Foakes and Rory Burns. Foakes went past 50 for the second time in as many Test matches, finishing the day undefeated on 51, while Burns scored his maiden Test fifty before being dismissed for 59. The opener looked controlled throughout and impressed the England captain.

"It's looked like it's going to be the case every time he's come out and batted," he said of Burns' maiden fifty. "He's played with a real calmness, he looked very in control of what he's trying to do and he looks unflappable.

"I watch him bat and think he's got everything going on to go on and have a really strong Test career."

^{Rory Burns made his maiden Test fifty}

The England captain, however, shone brightest. He was light on his feet as he scored aggressively and consistently put pressure on Sri Lanka's spin-heavy bowling attack, something he said the team continually set out to do.

"You look at the group of players that we've got and it suits most of the guys' natural games," he remarked. "You've got to play to your advantage and we've certainly done that throughout the tour so far with the bat.

"We're not going to get it right all the time but we've given ourselves a really good chance, especially now in this game. The best thing about it was we kept the board going at a really good rate. 

"Losing Leachy early with a bit of a deficit, the temptation is to go into your shell and think it's going to be really hard, but the guys played with a lot of freedom, a lot of courage but with respect to the good balls."