In high-pressure situations, champions rise—and Joe Root did just that at the Kennington Oval. As England faced a towering target of 374 in the fourth innings of the fifth Test against India, it was their most experienced batter who took command.
Calm, composed, and utterly clinical, Root stood tall in a tricky chase, not only steering England’s fightback but also etching his name into the history books with a slew of remarkable milestones.
Root’s innings wasn’t just about survival—it was a masterclass in chasing under pressure. In the 40th over of the innings, he guided Mohammed Siraj through the gully for a boundary, bringing up yet another personal milestone.
That stroke made Root the first-ever cricketer to breach the 6,000-run mark in World Test Championship (WTC) history. He began the match with 5946 WTC runs and reached the milestone in typically understated fashion, adding 54 more in this innings so far. The next best? Australia's Steve Smith, trailing him by a substantial margin with 4278 runs.
But Root’s brilliance didn’t end there. His ongoing fifty is his 13th 50-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test, drawing him level with legends like Graeme Smith, Chris Gayle, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul—the joint-most in Test history.
This knock also placed him alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli for the most 50+ scores in all international matches between India and England—each with 32 such scores, underlining his dominance against one of the world’s best sides.
Most 50+ Scores in India vs England Matches (All Formats):
Virat Kohli – 32
Joe Root – 32*
Sachin Tendulkar – 32
Rahul Dravid – 26
MS Dhoni – 24
Adding to the list, Root now has 13 half-centuries in Tests against India, just one behind Javed Miandad’s all-time record of 14 against the Men in Blue.
Most Test Half-Centuries vs India:
14 – Javed Miandad
13* – Joe Root
12 – Clive Lloyd
As he continues to pile on the runs, Root also stands on the cusp of surpassing two more monumental feats. With 23 Test centuries at home, another hundred would take him past Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting (both also with 23), for the most Test hundreds on home soil.
Additionally, another ton against India would be his 13th, placing him behind only Don Bradman (19 vs England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 vs West Indies) for most centuries against a single opposition.
Partnered by the flamboyant Harry Brook, who is playing his highest fourth-innings knock in Tests (currently 79*), Root has stitched together a formidable 133-run stand that has firmly placed England in control. From 206 for 3, they now eye the finish line, just 135 runs away from a famous Bazball-style comeback win.
