 "A picture of Joe Root batting on Day 3 of 4th Test against India in Manchester, Old Trafford. AP")
England’s batting general Joe Root has surpassed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting in just one day to become the second leading run-scorer in the history of Tests. Resuming innings at 11* on Day 3 of the Manchester Test , Root was just 20 runs short of the milestone and he successfully scaled the feat when he attained the score of 31 in the 58th over of England’s first innings. As he often does, he converted the start into a big total and smashed 38th ton of his career. With that, he eventually went past Ricky Ponting’s tally of 13,378 runs as well.
Root needed just 19 runs to go past Dravid’s total of 13,288 runs and 20 to leave South African great Kallis behind. And when he made another 90 runs, he climbed to the second spot in the leading run-getters in the history of Test cricket. It took him 157 matches to reach the mark, which is quicker than all the three aforementioned Test icons.
Joe Root becomes third leading run-scorer in Tests
Root has amassed a total of 13,379* runs in his Test career, and is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) in the influential list. As Tendulkar has been long retired from the sport, Root, 34, has a golden opportunity in his hand to become the leading run-scorer in the history of Test cricket.
Root has proven to be exceptional for England in all forms of the game. Test cricket has been his comfort zone from the outset. Root made his debut in the historic Test series of 2012, when Alastair Cook’s team clinched a series win over India on Indian soil. From then, it has been a non-stop ride for the English batter. Scoring at an average of 50.84, Root has stockpiled 13,379* runs with the help of 66 half-centuries and 38 centuries. His highest Test score of 262 came against Pakistan in 2024.
England on top in Manchester
After restricting India to a par score of 358, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett suppressed the Indian attack on Day 2 of the 4th Test. The openers stitched a voluminous stand of 166 runs and laid the foundation for England’s dominance in the match. As per the latest update, the hosts lost four wickets but have gone beyond the mark of 400, gaining a solid lead in the process. Joe Root and Ben Stokes are currently in the middle. It has been all England on Day 3 of the Test. After two sessions they are dictating the play. As for India, they are walking on thin ice and need a miracle to pull things back.