Joe Root is back: England skipper slams double ton against New Zealand

Joe Root announced his return to form by bringing up his third double century on Monday, giving England a much-needed boost in the second Test against New Zealand. (Source: Reuters)

England were two for 24 in their first innings when Root went to the middle where he controlled proceedings in a marathon stand in which he faced 441 deliveries in nearly 11 hours. (Source: Reuters)

It was Root's third double century, his longest innings in terms of time and balls faced and it ended just 28 runs short of his Test best 254 against Pakistan three years ago. (Source: Reuters)

He had not achieved three figures in a test since scoring 122 against West Indies in St Lucia in February - a stretch of 15 innings - and was averaging 27.10 this year prior to the Seddon Park match. (Source: Reuters)

He restored his own confidence and arrested England's slide in an initial partnership of 177 with Rory Burns for the third wicket followed by a convincing 193-run sixth-wicket stand with Ollie Pope. (Source: Reuters)

Root moved inside the top-10 test run scorers for England with his innings, advancing to 7282 runs at an average of 48.54, the highest in the list. (Source: Reuters)

He left the field to a deserved standing ovation but barely had time to take his seat. (Source: Reuters)