Joe Root’s day at Lord’s: Record 3,000 runs against India, stranded on 99* in 3rd Test
Leading England’s revival on what was an anti-Bazball day for Ben Stokes’ men, former skipper Joe Root remained 99 not out against Team India at Lord’s.
With the five-match series locked at 1-1, pace ace Jofra Archer made his hotly-anticipated return while India reinducted speedster Jasprit Bumrah for the 3rd Test on Thursday. England lost openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley cheaply in the morning after Stokes won the toss and opted to bat at the Home of Cricket.
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy managed to draw first blood in his first over by removing Duckett, who fell for 23. Reddy also got rid of Crawley (18) in the same over. Parting ways with the aggressive Bazball style of playing the longest format, England batted with caution as Root notched up a gritty half-century before Tea. Rewriting history books on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test, the 34-year-old became the first batter to complete 3,000 runs against India.
Sheffield stalwart only behind Sachin Tendulkar
Root achieved the milestone in his 60th innings against India. Root’s 53rd fifty-plus score is the joint second-most in Tests with Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting. The Yorkshire maestro is only behind Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved the feat 119 times in his legendary career.
Smashing his 13th half-century during the 1st innings, Root is on the cusp of registering his 11th ton against India. The Sheffield batting icon has an incredible average of more than 57 against the Asian heavyweights. Root smashed his highest score (218) against India at Chennai when England toured the nation in 2021.
Historic ton loading at Lord’s
Unbeaten on 99 from 191 balls at Stumps, Root guided England to 251 for four in 83 overs. The former England skipper was assisted by Ollie Pope’s 44 and an unbeaten knock of 39 from captain Stokes on the opening day. This is the second time England’s batting bedrock has reached the nervous nineties against India at Stumps. Root’s first run on Day 2 could bring up his 37th Test hundred - fittingly, at Lord’s.