The English batting maestro continues to shine in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, notching up centuries in three consecutive Tests.
Joe Root marched into the 90s with style, smashing back-to-back boundaries off Mohammed Siraj to move to 98. But just as he was closing in on the landmark, the session break halted his charge. He had to wait. Once play resumed, he calmly took a single and a double off the first two deliveries he faced—reaching another milestone. With that, he moved ahead of Kumar Sangakkara in the list of most Test centuries.
On Sunday, Day 4 of the Oval Test, Root showcased a batting masterclass in England’s chase of 374 against India. Off just 137 balls, he brought up his 39th Test hundred—yet another display of his calm dominance.
This century followed his tons at Lord’s and Old Trafford, making it three in three matches. With the Manchester hundred, he had drawn level with Sangakkara. Now, he takes sole ownership of fourth place in the all-time Test century list.
Only three batters have more centuries than Root in Test cricket: Ricky Ponting with 41, Jacques Kallis with 45, and the great Sachin Tendulkar leading the list with 51.
This was Root’s third century at the Oval and 24th at home overall—a new record for most Test centuries on home soil. Ponting, Kallis, and Mahela Jayawardene all have 23.
Root also extended his record for most Test centuries against India. His ton in this match was his 13th against the Asian side. Steve Smith follows with 11, while Gary Sobers, Viv Richards, and Ricky Ponting each scored eight.
In terms of most centuries against a single team in Test history, Root’s 13 puts him joint-second with Sunil Gavaskar, who also scored 13 against the West Indies. Don Bradman tops this elite list with 19 hundreds versus England.
Root’s century also tied a 70-year-old record. This was the 21st century in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, matching the most in a single Test series. The only other time this happened was during the 1955 series between West Indies and Australia. The 2003–04 West Indies–South Africa series saw 20 centuries.
Root came to the crease in the 23rd over of England’s innings, following Ben Duckett’s dismissal. Not long after, stand-in captain Ollie Pope also returned to the pavilion.
With England 106 for 3 and under pressure, Root steadied the innings alongside Harry Brook. Together, they built a crucial 195-run partnership. Brook played a blistering knock of 111 off just 98 balls before being dismissed.
At the other end, Root kept things smooth and steady. In the 61st over, he finally reached the milestone that had been delayed before the break.
For a while, it seemed like Root might see England home. But his brilliant innings ended when he nicked a delivery from Prasidh Krishna to the keeper. He walked off after scoring a superb 105 from 152 balls, laced with 12 boundaries.
