Joe Root surpassed Ricky Ponting as he is the second highest run scorer in Test cricket history. He did this in the 4 th Test of the ongoing 5-match series between England and India at Old Trafford.
Root scored with a guided dab behind the point, moving him to 120*. For the uninitiated, Ponting had scored 13378 runs in 168 Tests (287 innings), a record Root achieved despite playing 11 Tests and one fewer innings than the Australian veteran.
Most run in Tests:
| Player | Span | Matches | Innings | Runs |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1989-2013 | 200 | 329 | 15921 |
| Joe Root | 2012-2025 | 157 | 286 | 13409 |
| Ricky Ponting | 1995-2012 | 168 | 287 | 13378 |
| Jacques Kallis | 1995-2013 | 166 | 280 | 13289 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1996-2012 | 164 | 286 | 13288 |
Joe Root just made history by equalling Kumar Sangakkara with 38 Test centuries. Right now, England has scored 433 for 4 in 102 overs. Root is still batting on 121, and Ben Stokes is on 36. The home team leads by 75 runs and will try to make that lead even bigger in the next session.
In the first couple of games of this series, Root didn’t have the best scores, managing only one fifty. However, he returned to form with a century (104) and a solid 40 at Lord’s. Since he has already scored another hundred and looks set at the crease, the former captain will want to make the most of the remaining matches.
England, who already hold a 2-1 advantage, will look to extend their lead by scoring some quick runs in the remainder of the session and the opening few hours of Day 4 before declaring and bowling out the hosts to potentially win by an innings.
