Record-breaking Root bats on, Eng 433-4
Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers after hitting a sparkling 38th century on Friday as England hunted a series-clinching win against India.
Ben Stokes' men, 2-1 up in the five-match series, were 433-4 at tea on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, 75 runs ahead of the toiling tourists.
The imperious Root, who had just overtaken retired Australia great Ricky Ponting in the run-scoring charts, was 121 not out, with Stokes unbeaten on 36.
Earlier, Ollie Pope (71) put on 144 for the third wicket with Root before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar, who also removed Harry Brook cheaply to give India renewed hope.
But skipper Stokes ensured England regained the initiative, celebrating at the non-striker's end as Root reached 13,379 runs with a single behind point, moving one ahead of Ponting's figure.
"Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent, second on the table," Ponting said on Sky Sports.
England earlier resumed on 225-2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on 11.
India's pacemen had too often been wayward on Thursday and Jasprit Bumrah saw his first ball Friday drift down the legside to be clipped away for four by Root in elegant fashion.
Root then uppercut Mohammed Siraj over the slips for another boundary.
On 21, the former England skipper walked a long away across his stumps only to miss an intended glance off Siraj.
India reviewed for lbw after Ahsan Raza ruled in Root's favour but replays upheld the Pakistani umpire's decision, indicating the ball would have missed leg stump.
There was another scare when Root, on 22, was nearly run out but Ravindra Jadeja's shy at the stump missed.
Root then leapfrogged India's Rahul Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis into third place in Test cricket's list of run-scorers.
Pope, who drove Siraj for a superb four between cover and mid-off, completed a 93-ball fifty before Root followed him to that landmark in 99 balls.
Spin, however, eventually paid dividends for India where pace had failed.
Pope had added just one run to his lunchtime score of 70 when, beaten by the drift from off-spinner Sundar, he edged a flicked front-foot drive to KL Rahul at slip.
England were soon 349-4 when Brook, on three, was stumped by Dhruv Jurel, deputising for injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Root reached his century in 178 balls with a leg glance for four off debutant paceman Anshul Kamboj.
His 38th Test century drew him level with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place on the list of most hundreds in a Test career.
Most Test runs
Player Runs
Sachin Tendulkar (India) 15,921
Joe Root (England) 13,380*
Ricky Ponting (Australia) 13,378
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 13,289
Rahul Dravid (India) 13,288.
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Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Root: Eng's elegant Test record-breaker
England's Joe Root is second on the list of all-time Test run-scorers. Photo: AFP With a single behind point Joe Root climbed above Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history, underlining his status as a giant of the sport. The former England captain overtook Ponting's tally of 13,378 runs when he reached 120 in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford on Friday. Earlier in the day he had glided past India's Rahul Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis and there is now just one man above him — Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian great retired in 2013 with 15,921 Test runs to his name but few would bet against the voracious Root dislodging him. "Magnificent from Root, this is a great moment in history," former Australia captain Ponting said on Sky Sports as the Manchester crowd stood to applaud and chant the Yorkshireman's name. "The way his career his gone, there is absolutely no reason why he will not go past Tendulkar." The elegant Root, 34, is a throwback to a different era of batting, an orthodox "touch" player who does not need to smash the ball around to score quickly. Former England captain Alastair Cook hailed him as "England's greatest" and a "genius" when he surpassed his own record tally of 33 Test hundreds for England last year. Another former skipper, Nasser Hussain, has described him as "England's generational talent" with the bat. Root played for the same Sheffield Collegiate club as Michael Vaughan, following the ex-England captain into the Yorkshire first team. He made just 14 on his low-key first-class debut against a Loughborough University team in 2010 but after two encouraging seasons with Yorkshire he was picked to tour India in 2012. England spinner Graeme Swann likened the baby-faced batsman to a team mascot but Root seized his chance when it came, making a patient 73 from 229 balls in the final Test in Nagpur. His rise continued with a first Test hundred the following year against New Zealand at his Headingley home ground, before a maiden Ashes century at Lord's two months later. There was a dip in Australia, where Root has still to score a Test century, as he lost form during England's 2013/14 Ashes whitewash. Root, dropped for the fifth Test in Sydney, responded in style back on home soil with a double hundred against Sri Lanka at Lord's followed by two centuries against India. Runs have flowed consistently for the Yorkshireman despite concerns at times, now largely forgotten, over his conversion rate — the number of times he went on to score hundreds after reaching fifty. 'Big four' Root is in an elite bracket as a member of the modern game's "Big Four" batsmen alongside Australia's Steve Smith, India's Virat Kohli, now retired from Test cricket, and New Zealand's Kane Williamson. The Yorkshireman, who has also taken 73 Test wickets with his spin bowling, succeeded Cook -- the only other England batsman to have scored 10,000 Test runs — as captain in 2017. He went on to lead England in more Tests (64) and achieve more wins (27) than any previous skipper but found himself in charge of a struggling team. He maintained his own standards with the bat during his time at the helm, most strikingly in 2021, when he scored 1,708 runs at an average of 61 and was named Test Cricketer of the Year. Root's tenure as skipper ended in disappointment in April 2022 following a run of just one win from 17 matches, with Ben Stokes taking charge. The former skipper has proved indispensable under Stokes, scoring 13 of his Test hundreds after being freed from the burden of captaincy. Root has occasionally become unstuck while flirting with a more risky style in the ultra-attacking "Bazball" era under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. But he has largely played his own game, with a rare talent to keep the scoreboard ticking over by playing in a classical, relatively risk-free style. Root's Test batting average is more than 50, the mark of an all-time great, and he remains a mainstay of England's one-day team. He has a long way to go to catch Tendulkar but few would doubt his hunger and ability to finish his career right at the top. "It has been a privilege to watch him knock off those milestones," former England skipper Michael Atherton said on Sky. "It has also been a privilege to see his career unfold." AFP
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Root has no interest in Tendulkar run-record hype
MANCHESTER: Joe Root has insisted helping England win games rather than surpassing Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket's all-time leading run-scorer remains his primary motivation after moving into second place in the standings. Root leapfrogged three greats of the game during his magnificent 150 in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford on Friday, overtaking Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis before going past former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. Now only Tendulkar, with a mammoth 15,921 Test runs, is ahead of Root, although Ponting is among those who believe the 34-year-old former England captain has time on his side to close the 2,512-run gap to the India great. But Root, who has compiled 21 hundreds since turning 30, is wary of the hype and wants attention turned to the fact England are pressing for a series-clinching win in Manchester at 2-1 up in the five-Test contest Stokes ends two-year wait for Test hundred before India collapse in fourth Test 'It is easy to get caught up in this stuff but at the end of the day, you're playing against India in one of the biggest series there is,' Root told Sky Sports. 'It's not about you, it's about winning the game and getting your team in a position where you can follow through on that.' Nevertheless, he added: 'When you look at the names there on that list, they are all people that, as a kid, growing up, that's who I would try and be in the garden, on the street, on the driveway, at my local club. 'Even just to be mentioned in the (same) sentence as these guys is a bit of a pinch-yourself moment.' Root said a period of reflection during Covid, when he was still England captain, prompted changes to his game that have helped the Yorkshireman amass 5,586 runs at a high average of 56.42 since the start of 2021. 'I actually went away during that period and asked can I get some footage off Sky and just look at modes of dismissal (to see) if there were any trends,' he explained. 'One thing that I've done within that period is actually try and look at the game slightly differently. 'At the start of my career, a lot of it was based on my technique. Whereas in this second phase of things, it's been more about managing risk and thinking how can I eliminate as many modes of dismissal as possible with the highest output? 'It's very easy to get caught up, get too emotional, either get too hard on yourself or feel too sorry for yourself.'
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Record-breaking Root bats on, Eng 433-4
England's Joe Root celebrates his century on day three of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. Photo: REUTERS Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers after hitting a sparkling 38th century on Friday as England hunted a series-clinching win against India. Ben Stokes' men, 2-1 up in the five-match series, were 433-4 at tea on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, 75 runs ahead of the toiling tourists. The imperious Root, who had just overtaken retired Australia great Ricky Ponting in the run-scoring charts, was 121 not out, with Stokes unbeaten on 36. Earlier, Ollie Pope (71) put on 144 for the third wicket with Root before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar, who also removed Harry Brook cheaply to give India renewed hope. But skipper Stokes ensured England regained the initiative, celebrating at the non-striker's end as Root reached 13,379 runs with a single behind point, moving one ahead of Ponting's figure. "Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent, second on the table," Ponting said on Sky Sports. England earlier resumed on 225-2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on 11. India's pacemen had too often been wayward on Thursday and Jasprit Bumrah saw his first ball Friday drift down the legside to be clipped away for four by Root in elegant fashion. Root then uppercut Mohammed Siraj over the slips for another boundary. On 21, the former England skipper walked a long away across his stumps only to miss an intended glance off Siraj. India reviewed for lbw after Ahsan Raza ruled in Root's favour but replays upheld the Pakistani umpire's decision, indicating the ball would have missed leg stump. There was another scare when Root, on 22, was nearly run out but Ravindra Jadeja's shy at the stump missed. Root then leapfrogged India's Rahul Dravid and South Africa's Jacques Kallis into third place in Test cricket's list of run-scorers. Pope, who drove Siraj for a superb four between cover and mid-off, completed a 93-ball fifty before Root followed him to that landmark in 99 balls. Spin, however, eventually paid dividends for India where pace had failed. Pope had added just one run to his lunchtime score of 70 when, beaten by the drift from off-spinner Sundar, he edged a flicked front-foot drive to KL Rahul at slip. England were soon 349-4 when Brook, on three, was stumped by Dhruv Jurel, deputising for injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Root reached his century in 178 balls with a leg glance for four off debutant paceman Anshul Kamboj. His 38th Test century drew him level with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place on the list of most hundreds in a Test career. Most Test runs Player Runs Sachin Tendulkar (India) 15,921 Joe Root (England) 13,380* Ricky Ponting (Australia) 13,378 Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 13,289 Rahul Dravid (India) 13,288.
