Joe Root etched his name deeper into cricketing history on Friday, scoring a masterful 37th Test hundred to surpass the tallies of Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith, both of whom sit on 36 Test centuries. The landmark knock came on Day 2 of the third Test of the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy at Lord’s, where Root stroked a boundary off Jasprit Bumrah to bring up his hundred in style.
Though Bumrah would eventually have the last laugh—knocking over the former England captain for 104 with a delivery that jagged in late—Root’s latest milestone cemented his place among the modern greats.
His 199-ball effort, laced with 10 fours, was not just a personal triumph but a vital anchor in England’s first-innings effort.
With this hundred, Root also drew level with Steve Smith for the most centuries against India in Test cricket—11 apiece. Root achieved the feat in 60 innings, while Smith needed just 46. Only three other men—Sir Garfield Sobers, Viv Richards, and Ricky Ponting—have as many as eight centuries against India.
Root’s love affair with Lord’s also continued to blossom. The Yorkshireman became the only batter in Test history to score eight centuries at the iconic venue, moving ahead of England legends Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan, who each have six.
Remarkably, this was also Root’s third consecutive century at Lord’s, following scores of 143 and 103 in his two most recent innings at the ground.
He joins Michael Vaughan and Sir Jack Hobbs as the only Englishmen to notch three successive tons at Lord’s, and among international batters, only India’s Dilip Vengsarkar shares that rare distinction.
In the all-time list of Test centurions, Root now stands behind only four players: Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), and Kumar Sangakkara (38). Friday’s innings was another glowing chapter in an already glittering career—crafted at the Home of Cricket, where Root continues to reign supreme.
