Joe Root hammers his 8th Test hundred at Lord's: Stats
What's the story
Joe Root, the former England captain, scored his 37th Test century and 11th against India. The milestone was achieved on Day 2 of the ongoing Lord's Test match. Root resumed Day 2 on 99*. This is Root's first century in the five-match series and his eighth at Lord's. On this note, let's decode Root's stellar Test numbers at the Mecca of Cricket.
Numbers
Most runs at Lord's
Root departed for 104 off 199 balls (10 fours). He was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. As per ESPNcricinfo, this knock has taken Root's tally at Lord's to 2,126 runs across 23 matches at 55.94 (100s: 8, 50s: 7). While Graham Gooch (2,015) is the only other batter with 2,000-plus Test runs here, no other batter has even seven Test hundreds at Lord's. Root's overall tally of 15 50-plus scores here is only second to Alastair Cook's 16.
DYK
Three successive hundreds at Lord's
Root's preceding outing at the venue was against Sri Lanka last year. The game saw him become the fourth batter to hammer twin tons in a Test at Lord's, having scored 143 and 103. As per Cricbuzz, Root has now become the third batter to score three successive Test hundreds at Lord's after Jack Hobbs (1912-26) and Michael Vaughan (2004-05).
Numbers
Root vs India at Lord's
Root has featured in six innings (4 Tests) against India at Lord's, having scored 415 runs at an average of 83 (100s: 2, 50s: 1). Gooch (588) is the only batter with more Test runs against India at the iconic venue. Meanwhile, Root's preceding assignment against India here saw him score 180* and 33, in 2021. His efforts, however, went in vain as England lost that contest.
Root vs India
Over 3,000 Test runs vs India
With his 45th run of the contest on Day 1, Root completed the mark of 3,000 runs versus India in Tests from 33 matches (60 innings). On Day 2, Root got to his 11th ton versus India, equalling Australia's Steve Smith's tally (50s: 12). He has further taken his tally to 3,059 runs across 60 Tests at 57.71. This was Root's 8th century versus India on home soil as his tally includes 1,787 runs at 71.48 (50s: 6).
Career
Root becomes 5th-highest centurion in Tests
This was overall Root's 37th Test century. He has steered clear of Smith and Rahul Dravid (36 each) to become the 5th-highest centurion in Tests. Playing his 156th Test (284 innings), Root owns 13,219 runs at an average of 50.84. Apart from 37 tons, he owns 66 half-centuries. His tally of 103 50-plus scores in Tests is the joint-second-most for any batter.