India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Match Scorecard: England batter Joe Root has achieved a major milestone in the ongoing fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. The former England captain has now become the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket. Root came in to bat at No. 4 for the Ben Stokes-led side and played a crucial knock. He first moved past Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to take the third spot. Later, in the second session on Day 3, he overtook Australia great Ricky Ponting.
Ponting had scored 13,378 runs in 168 Tests for Australia from 1995 to 2012. Root needed 120 runs in the Manchester Test to surpass that mark. He has now reached 13,379 runs in 157 matches. Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of Root. Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 Tests for India between 1989 and 2013.
Root also broke multiple records in the ongoing Test. His century in Manchester was his 12th against India. He now holds the record for most Test centuries by any batter against India. The previous record was held by Steve Smith, who scored 11. Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting are next on the list with eight each.
He now has 38 centuries overall in Tests and has equaled Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in the list of most hundreds in the format. Sangakkara made 38 centuries in 134 Tests. Only Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), and Ponting (41) have more.
The former England captain also moved closer to another record. Root now has 104 scores of 50 or more in Tests — 38 centuries and 66 fifties — behind only Tendulkar, who finished his career with 119 such scores.
