Lord of the Lord’s Joe Root goes past Rahul Dravid, Steve Smith with 37th Test century

Joe Root went past Steve Smith and Rahul Dravid with his 37th Test hundred and now is 5th for Most Test centuries.

Joe Root scaled yet another peak with a stunning performance in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test. Having been stranded on 99 overnight, Root reached the three-digit score for a record 37th time in the first over of Day 2. It was the 34-year-old’s 11th Test century against India, the joint-most against the Men in Blue.

After a no-show in the first two matches of the India vs England series, Joe Root burst back into the runs at his favourite cricket ground. In a classical Test innings, Root held his own and with patience against a probing Indian attack. Having lost the openers early, the 34-year-old built fine partnerships with Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes to take England to Stumps.

Most Test centuries vs India

The 100-run mark was breached early on Day 2 and the records continued to tumble. It was Root’s 11th Test century against India. He joined Australian Steve Smith as a co-holder of the record. Root took 60 innings to reach the milestone, while Smith achieved the same in 46. The next best on the list has 8, shared between Gary Sobers, Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting.

Most Test centuries at Lord’s

It was fitting that Lord’s brought the best out of Root. The England legend has enjoyed batting at the home of cricket. It was the 34-year-old’s 8th Test century at Lord’s, by far the most. Former England captain Michael Vaughan had 6 in 19 innings at Lord’s. Among current players, only Stokes, with 3 is in within any distance.

Most Test centuries

Joe Root also jumped to 5th for most Test centuries. He now has 37 Test hundreds, one more than Steven Smith. Root is one shy of Kumar Sangakkara, who had 38 in his career. Root is in with a chance to chase down Sachin Tendulkar. At 34, Root has time on his hands to score 13 more centuries in the coming years. He is already hunting Sachin’s run tally, but to close in on centuries would be extra special. Among active cricketers, Joe Root is at the top with 37 Test centuries.