Joe Root Dominates India at Lord’s With Record-Breaking Ton and Fielding Milestone
England’s Joe Root continues to solidify his place among cricket’s greatest players, showcasing his brilliance once again during the third Test against India at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Root’s remarkable performance across two days saw him achieve multiple significant milestones, highlighting his consistency and class at the iconic venue.
Root became the highest run-scorer at Lord’s across all formats, surpassing former England batter Graham Gooch’s record of 2,513 runs. Root now leads the charts with 2,531 runs in 33 matches at an average of 53.85, including nine centuries and nine fifties in 51 innings. His consistency was further underlined by scoring three consecutive Test centuries at Lord’s, joining an elite club featuring only Jack Hobbs and Michael Vaughan.
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Root’s outstanding innings on the first day ended with him unbeaten at 99, helping England to a stable position of 251/4 alongside skipper Ben Stokes, who was unbeaten at 39. The pair adopted a more traditional approach, contrasting the aggressive style typically seen under coach Brendon McCullum. Earlier in the day, Root had anchored England after Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in the opening session. He partnered with Ollie Pope, building a crucial 109-run stand before Ravindra Jadeja broke through, dismissing Pope for 44.
On day two, Root immediately converted his overnight 99 into his 37th Test century by dispatching the first ball of the day to the boundary. With this century, Root overtook Steve Smith and Rahul Dravid, becoming the fifth-highest century scorer in Test cricket. Root now trails only Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), and Kumar Sangakkara (38) in Test hundreds. This was also his 55th international century, matching the legendary South African batter Hashim Amla for sixth-most international centuries across formats.
However, Root’s spectacular innings was ended shortly after reaching the century mark. He was dismissed for 104 runs from 199 balls by Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who executed a brilliant nip-backer that shattered his stumps. Root’s dismissal triggered a brief collapse as Bumrah dismissed Chris Woakes for a golden duck. England, briefly in trouble at 271/7, was steadied by Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse, who built a counter-attacking eighth-wicket partnership, guiding England past 350 by the lunch break.
Root’s brilliance was not limited to batting. He also showcased his fielding prowess, surpassing India’s Rahul Dravid to set the record for most outfield catches in Test cricket history. Root achieved this landmark by brilliantly diving to his left to dismiss India’s Karun Nair, marking his 211th outfield catch in Tests. Dravid, with 210 catches, and Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, with 205, now follow behind him.
In addition, Root became the first batter to reach 3,000 Test runs against India, totaling 3,054 runs in 33 Tests, including 11 centuries—the joint-most against India alongside Australia’s Steve Smith. This also placed Root among an exclusive group of batters with over 3,000 runs in a non-Ashes rivalry, a feat previously achieved only by Gary Sobers (against England) and Sachin Tendulkar (against Australia).
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