Joe Root reaffirmed his status as one of Test cricket’s modern greats on Friday, as the former England captain notched up his 37th Test century — his 11th against India — during Day 2 of the second Test in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Lord’s.
Resuming unbeaten on 99, Root wasted no time on the second morning, bringing up his hundred with his first runs of the day. In doing so, the 34-year-old became only the second batter in history to score 11 Test centuries against India, equalling Steve Smith’s tally. Root reached the milestone in his 60th innings against the Men in Blue, while Smith managed it in 46.
Root also made history at the hallowed home of cricket, registering his eighth Test century at Lord’s — the most by any player at the iconic ground. Entering the match already as the venue’s leading run-scorer, Root further cemented his dominance with yet another commanding innings in familiar surroundings.
His latest ton also saw him surpass Steve Smith as the active player with the most Test centuries. With 37 three-figure scores, Root now sits fifth on the all-time list, behind only Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), and Kumar Sangakkara (38).
The Yorkshireman’s knock placed him alongside Ponting and Kallis for the joint-second most Test scores of 50 or more (103). He also became the first batter to surpass 3,000 Test runs against India, maintaining a remarkable average of 58.73 — just fractionally behind Smith’s 58.90 against the same opposition.
Only three players in the history of the game have scored more Test centuries against a single team — led by Don Bradman’s legendary 19 tons against England.
With his form showing no signs of waning, Root continues to chase down more milestones, inching closer to Tendulkar’s all-time record of 15,921 Test runs, and further etching his name into the pantheon of greats at Lord’s and beyond.