Joe Root slams his 22nd Test century: Records broken
England captain Joe Root has smashed his 22nd century in Test cricket. The right-handed batsman achieved the feat on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against India at Lord's. This is the second consecutive Test ton for Root in the five-match series. The English skipper had smashed 109 in the second innings of the series opener that ended in a draw. Here's more.
Root steadied the ship for England
Root raced to his 22nd Test hundred in the first innings. Once again, he steadied the ship for England, who were reduced to 23/2 yesterday. Root shared an 85-run stand with Rory Burns before adding over 100 runs with Jonny Bairstow.
Second England batsman to complete 9,000 Test runs
Root achieved another significant milestone during the innings. He became only the second batsman from England to complete 9,000 runs in Test cricket. Root has taken the fewest days to achieve this historic feat (3,167). Others on the tally are Cook (3,381), Rahul Dravid (3,662), Ricky Ponting (4,004), Kumar Sangakkara (4,124), Graeme Smith (4,249), Jacques Kallis (4,350).
Second-youngest to 9,000 Test runs
Root has become the second-youngest cricketer to complete 9,000 Test runs (30 years and 227 days). Former England skipper Cook reached this landmark at 30 years and 159 days. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar (30y 253d) and Ricky Ponting (31y 341d) follow Root.
A look at other feats attained by Root
Root has equaled Cook's record of most international hundreds for England (38). The former now has the most Test hundreds in a calendar year by an England captain (5). He is only behind Cook (33) and Kevin Pietersen (23) in terms of Test tons. This is the first time Root has scored hundreds in successive innings in Test cricket.
Seventh Test hundred against India
Root registered his seventh Test hundred against India, the joint-most among English batsmen along with Cook. The former also became only the second England batsman to cross the 2,000-run mark against India in Test cricket.
Most Test runs in 2021
Root is presently the only batsman to score 1,000 or more runs in Test cricket in 2021. He also has the most Test hundreds (5) this year. Earlier in the Lord's Test, Root surpassed former England legend, Graham Gooch (8,900), in terms of Test runs. He is now England's second-highest scorer and is only behind former skipper Alastair Cook (12,472).
