Watch: Joe Root plays eye-catching reverse sweep off Neil Wagner at Headingley

England batting great Joe Root has been in scintillating form with the bat in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand. 

Rallying on a remarkable career peak, Root has continued his domination, with successive hundreds in the first two Test matches. 

Root has been in such pink of health with his batting that the batter has been going against his character from time to time and unveiling his jaw-dropping reverse sweeps and scoops above the slip cordon's heads for four runs.

Often used in white-ball cricket, the adventurous stroke has been a sporadic presence in the Test match game, especially not against the fast-bowlers and certainly not in conditions with the ball swinging and seaming. 

Joe Root opted for the dare on Sunday (June 26), as he played the it against New Zealand's hard-length warrior Neil Wagner in the final innings of the third and final Test of the series in Leeds. 

Joe Root's reverse scoop against Neil Wagner 

The shot came near the close of the 22nd over in the England run-chase. Even as the hosts found themselves 94/2 chasing a tricky target of 296 runs, Joe Root didn't curb his new-found attacking instincts and went ahead with a terrific reverse scoop that the New Zealand slip fielders could only watch with helplessness. 

Wagner, too, usually an unruffled character on the cricket field, was seen carrying a look of disbelief on his face and left admiring the quality of the stroke from Root despite it requiring an incredible amount of bravery and unabashed desire to do something for the team. 

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Root didn't think what if he can't and the backlash that may have followed if he failed to execute the stroke. He simply went ahead with the shot and offered a grin towards Wagner when the bowler threw a few words at him, presumably telling him 'now what else shall I come up with?'. 

Woahhh! Joe Root is nailing those reverse scoops 💥 #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/JUfAnV7U8n

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) June 26, 2022

Joe Root played the shot even during the second Test of the series in Trent Bridge, where he recorded a first-innings knock of 176 off 211 deliveries.

Since the start of 2020, Root has made a whopping 2,865 runs in Test cricket at an average of 54.05, featuring 10 hundreds.