Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
This is Joe Root’s 12th Test century against India. Only Don Bradman (19 v England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 v West Indies) have scored more against a single opponent.
Winnie the Pooh on a lark
“Putting the stature of Joe Root in context might seem daunting because of the titanic nature of his achievement but, like many dreaded tasks, it’s actually a doddle,” writes Robert Wilson. “ England fans’ view of him is skewed by fear of failure and disappointment (and the hard-to-dislike instinctive despondency of English cricket followers). All you need to do is model what opposition fans think when they see him schlepping out with bat in hand.
“What they’re almost certainly thinking is ‘Oh eff it, here’s this freckled elf come out to get his usual party-pooping 120. What’s the bleedin’ point?’ There is something absolutely relentless about him which you just can’t get if you’re a fan. I remember Steve Waugh doing that to every Brit I knew way back when. At least he had the face for it. The horror of Root is that he crushes it out of you while looking like Winnie the Pooh on a lark. That’s bound to make it worse.”
“Is Root really the GOAT amongst English batters?” says Adrian Goldman. “Surely the immortal Don is still the greatest of the greatest, though he has far fewer runs and centuries than Sachin. On that basis, what about Sutcliffe, Barrington, Hammond, Hobbs and Hutton, all of whom have significantly higher Test averages – above 55/innings?”
I have a greater appreciation of longevity than I did when I was younger, which is why I would put Root at the top. Bradman is different because his average is entirely preposterous. But either argument is valid and I wouldn’t start abusing anyone on a digital platform for putting Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs or whoever at No1.
“Joe Root,” begins Simon McMahon. “If he could field and bowl a bit, maybe do some impressions, he’d be an all time great.”
In the County Championship, Rehan Ahmed has become the first Englishman since Sir Ian Botham to score a century and take 13 wickets in a first-class match. Beefy did it against India in the Golden Jubilee Test of 1979-80, aided by industrial quantities of brandy.
Regular OBO readers will know I don’t like plugging my own work, oh no, but I’m slightly proud of this piece on Joe Root from 2013. Not the writing so much as the recognition of unique qualities that endure to this day. You know what they say: game recognise game a stopped clock is right twice a day.
102nd over: England 433-4 (Root 121, Stokes 36) Root cuts the last ball of the season, bowled by Thakur, for a single and walks off to his 48th ovation of the day. His great mate Ben Stokes stands back to let Root leave the field first.
With all these milestones it’s easy to forget that England are in the most wonderful position. The second new ball felt like India’s last chance of getting back in the game; now their best hope is rain, lots of rain.
“I am somewhere north of 50 years old,” writes John Culley. “My heroes in the 1980s were Graham Gooch and David Gower, both exceptional and very different talents. Root has as many centuries as they had combined. He really is an underappreciated little master.”
There are only two Little Masters. Four if you count Sunil Gavaskar and Fergie Gupte.
101st over: England 432-4 (Root 120, Stokes 36) Bumrah walks in to replace Siraj, only for the umpires to tell him he can’t bowl until after tea because of the time he spent off the field. That means the return of Anshul Kamboj – and Root dabs a single, the 13,379th run of his Test career, to move above Ricky Ponting and into second on the all-time list.
The Old Trafford crowd give him another ovation, the fourth or fifth of the day. Imagine the noise if he overtakes Sachin Tendulkar. That’s for another day, and indeed year: Sachin is around 2,500 runs ahead of the rest.
In the commentary box Ricky Ponting, who loves cricket far more than he loves himself or his own records, hails Root’s achievement with an enthusiasm you can’t fake.
An all-time great. Photograph: Alex Davidson/Getty Images
100th over: England 428-4 (Root 119, Stokes 32) Ricky Ponting enters the commentary box just in time to see Joe Root join him on 13,378 Test runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more. I don’t know about you but I’m almost numb to Joe Root’s greatness.
Stokes tries to club Thakur into a different postcode, doesn’t make proper contact and breaks his bat in the process.
“OBO handover” is the subject of John Starbuck’s email. “Do OBO scribes have a competition regarding who’s on duty for significant targets achieved?”
It’s done by the clock. That’s been the case ever since a sickening incident when Andy Bull and Lawrence Booth both thought they should call Steven Finn’s first Test fifty.
99th over: England 424-4 (Root 116, Stokes 32) Siraj goes for the glory ball, strains too hard and is flicked effortlessly through midwicket for four by Joe Root.
Now Siraj is limping. This is becoming a nightmare for India. Bumrah is on the field but can’t bowl until after tea, and that might be a struggle given how frequently he’s grimacing.
At the end of the over, Siraj moves slowly off the field to receive treatment. Mike Atherton’s arm-wrestle analogy feels custom-made for a day like today.
Mohammed Siraj looks in some discomfort. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
98th over: England 415-4 (Root 108, Stokes 31) Bumrah is back on the field – but he looks really uncomfortable and is grimacing every team his foot hits the floor. Shardul Thakur comes on for Kamboj, whose latest spell lasted just two overs, and is milked for four.
It almost beggars belief that Thakur is in the team ahead of Prasidh Krishna, never mind Kuldeep Yadav. India’s selection in this series has been a mess. From afar, Gautam Gambhir always seemed a Rhadamanthine character but he and the selectors have changed their mind on a number of players in this series.
97th over: England 411-4 (Root 106, Stokes 29) The luckless Siraj zips consecutive deliveries past Stokes’s outside edge. I have no idea how he is still wicketless innings.
Siraj tries to engage Stokes in some hard-faced discourse. No luck there either.
96th over: England 409-4 (Root 105, Stokes 28)
All right lad, you okay, you’re playing well there.
Those were Joe Root’s first words to Kevin Pietersen when he walked out to bat on his Test debut at Nagpur in 2012. It was obvious during that innings, a serene five-hour 73, that England had found a player. We had no idea they’d found the player, the greatest English batter of all time.
That hundred, Root’s 38th in Tests, takes him to joint-fourth on that all-time list.
- 51 Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)
- 45 Jacques Kallis (SA)
- 41 Ricky Ponting (Aus)
- 38 Joe Root (Eng), Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
- 36 Rahul Dravid (Ind), Steve Smith (Aus)
Boos ring round Old Trafford as Joe Root clips Kamboj fine for four to reach – just dwell on this for a second – his 38th Test century. He celebrates modestly, then takes his helmet off to acknowledge an ovation full of unconditional love. For a Yorkshireman, in Manchester.
Rooooooooooooooooot! Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
95th over: England 402-4 (Root 99, Stokes 27) Siraj, bless him, is charging in as if the future of humanity depends on him taking a wicket THIS INSTANT. He’s bowling very straight, looking for LBW or bowled, but Stokes and Root are up to it in that over. They take a single apiece, which means Root will start the next over on 99 not out.
94th over: England 400-4 (Root 98, Stokes 26) Bumrah has left the field after only one over with the ball. That’s a huge problem for India because this, right here, is probably their last chance of saving the series. Kamboj replaces him, prompting Stokes to alter his approach ever so slightly.
Okay, a lot. He charges down the pitch and wallops a length ball back past Kamboj for four. Stokes has reached 20 in eight of his last 10 innings, yet his highest score in that time is 49 not out. If he gets through the new ball he’ll have every chance of changing that statistic.
“I see India took the new ball after 90 overs, not 80,” notes Michael Rowbottom. “Does that mean they can get another new ball after just 70 overs, or do they have to have it for the full 80 overs?”
They have to wait another 80. Should that happen in this innings, they will be in a galaxy of pain.
93rd over: England 394-4 (Root 98, Stokes 21) Sheesh, Root has multiple scares during a terrific Siraj over. He plays and misses three times, then almost drags the ball onto the stumps via the thigh pad. That was similar to the freakish dismissal of Michael Vaughan at Trent Bridge in 2007, a decisive moment in India’s series win.
Cheers James (to be said in a David-from-the-Royle-Family voice), hello everyone.
That’ll do for the pleasantries before Joseph Edward Root, Jolly Excellent Root, is on strike on 98.
James Wallace
92nd over: England 394-4 (Root 98, Stokes 21) Root goes to 98 with a clip and brisk single to mid on off Bumrah. He’ll have a drink to calm the nerves. Ali Martin, sat beside me whispers that Root has fallen in the nineties just three times in his Test career.
That’s me done. Here’s Rob Smyth to bring it/Root home.
91st over: England 383-4 (Root 95, Stokes 14) Siraj takes the new ball after a couple with the old and he gets one to slam into Stokes’ box. Ouchy. After a few deep breaths, Stokes is good to resume and clips a single to hobble off strike. Root nurdles two into the gap square of the wicket to go to 95…
Big Ben gets bonged. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
90th over: England 378-4 (Root 93, Stokes 11) Ten runs off Sundar’s latest as England begin to accumulate more comfortably. Root reverse-sweeps with aplomb to move into the nineties. Shubman Gill has seen enough, Mohammed Siraj is replacing Jadeja from the Statham End. New ball imminent! The next passage of play may well define this Test series.
89th over: England 368-4 (Root 88, Stokes 7) Root and Stokes have negotiated this tricky period and are starting to rotate strike a bit more easily. It might not be long before we see Bumrah with the new ball.
“Afternoon, Jimbo. That analogy to a 3am campfire (77th over) does make me wonder how it would work out with this England XI. Who’s liable to whip out an acoustic guitar unbidden? Who brought smores? And who’s most likely to burst into tears because they heard a noise in the woods that might be the Bumrah bogeyman?”
Well Sean Clayton, here are the answers – Root, Woakes and Pope. In that order. No further questions.
88th over: England 363-4 (Root 84, Stokes 6) India still don’t call for the new ball, Jadeja rattles through another, Stokes cuts for a single, Root drives for one and Stokes dabs a single off the last to keep strike. Washington Sundar will keep going, the fourth umpire can be spotted waiting in the wings with the new Dukes.
87th over: England 360-4 (Root 83, Stokes 4) A cheer goes around Old Trafford as Root clips the single off Sundar that takes England into the lead. A lead of 80-100 runs could be monumental on this wicket.
86th over: England 358-4 (Root 82, Stokes 3) Jadeja rushes one through and it hits Root on the pad… a huge appeal but the Umpire says no and India choose not to burn their last review. Wisely – it was heading down leg. Root drives to mid off to bring the scores level. Every one from now will hurt India that little bit more.
85th over: England 357-4 (Root 81, Stokes 3) Washington Sundar has men around the bat and is in some lovely rhythm. Shubman Gill must be cursing that he didn’t toss him the ball until the 68th over of the innings! Stokes plays out a maiden.
84th over: England 357-4 (Root 81, Stokes 3) Root sweeps Jadeja into the deep for three runs, Kamboj nearly makes a hash of the boundary fielding but has his blushes spared by a millimetre or two right in front of the ‘Party stand’. They are loosening up in there by the look/sounds of it.
83rd over: England 353-4 (Root 78, Stokes 2) Root clips a single but England are watchful against Sundar.
82nd over: England 352-4 (Root 77, Stokes 2) Gill stays with spin, Stokes goes deep in his crease and gets off the mark with two runs poked past slip. Feels like a different game now, England still trail by nine runs.
81st over: England 349-4 (Root 76, Stokes 0) Ben Stokes arrives in the middle, Sundar is twirling away full of confidence after the double strike. Stokes is watchful in defence, the atmosphere has ramped up here at Old Trafford. England were coasting but losing Pope and Brook in the early stages after lunch has given India some hope of limiting the first innings damage.
Another to Washington Sundar! Harry Brook is done in the flight, dancing out of his crease and left stranded by the drift, Jurel whips off the bails and India have snared two quick wickets after lunch to come back into this match!
Harry Brook is gone for just 3 runs. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
80th over: England 349-3 (Root 76, Brook 3) Just a single off Jadeja to Brook. India aren’t going to take the new ball straight away, Washington has his dander up…
79th over: England 348-3 (Root 76, Brook 2) Washington Sundar has some lovely drift and flight going on here, I wonder if Gill might delay taking the new ball with spin looking threatening all of a sudden.
77th over: England 345-3 (Root 75, Brook 0) Root nails a sweep off Jadeja to the leg-side fence. England trail by 13 runs, they’ll want a sizeable first innings lead here, with Jofra Archer carded to come in at number 11 England bat deeper than a sixth form philosophy student sat around a campfire at 3am. Deep.
76th over: England 341-3 (Root 71, Brook 0) In strolls Harry Brook. Do not adjust your set. Sundar lopes in and beats him on the back foot! Close to edge and off stump. Suddenly India’s dander is up and the new ball is just around the corner. A wicket maiden for Sundar, why wasn’t he introduced earlier in the piece?
Flight, drift and a Pope poke to slip! Sundar strikes in the second over after lunch. India needed that, a familiar dismissal for Pope who stomps off furious with himself, there was a ton for the taking out there.
75th over: England 341-2 (Pope 71, Root 71) Here come the players for the afternoon session. India need wickets. Jadeja starts to Root who flicks his very first ball behind point for a couple and then rocks back to a shorter ball and times it through midwicket for four.
Ali getting his statto on:
Joe Root moves to 50 for the 104th time in his Test career. Only Sachin Tendulkar, 119 times, is fiftier @englandcricket
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) July 25, 2025
A very serviceable chicken curry in the Old Trafford press box and then a check of the emails… Neil Gibson is having a bad day, he doesn’t really mean this, I hope.
“Sorry to say it but this is now a boring Test match”
There’s no pleasing some people.
Root reverse sweeps for three and exchanges a couple more singles with Pope to take England serenely to lunch. 107 runs added in 28 overs, no alarms and no surprises.
Time for some scran, back soon.
74th over: England 332-2 (Pope 70, Root 63)
73rd over: England 327-2 (Pope 69, Root 59) Root and Pope are picking up singles and rotating strike at will. After a few scares from balls spitting and scudding in the first half hour this has been a relative cakewalk for England so far on day three.
72nd over: England 323-2 (Pope 66, Root 58) Jadeja drops short, Root rocks back and angles away for four more.
71st over: England 318-2 (Pope 65, Root 54) Bosh! Root steps down to Sundar and clatters a drive back past the bowler for four. England trail by just 40 now. India are hurting at the moment.
70th over: England 313-2 (Pope 64, Root 50) Pope drives Jadeja for another single.
“Hi James, Rowan Tewari’s mate passing comment on England’s greatest ever run scorer reminded me of my only included OBO missive during the immortal ’05 Ashes series, which can still be found on page 172/173 of the marvellous Is it Cowardly to Pray for Rain:
“My wife – forced to assume some interest as the cricket was on all day – asked me genuinely “That blond one is getting hit all the time – is he no good because he’s fat? He doesn’t look like a professional sportsman.”
I don’t think we even need to say who she was referring to, do we? RIP.”
Lovely stuff from Ben Heywood.
69th over: England 312-2 (Pope 63, Root 50) Here comes Washington Sundar for his first bowl of the innings… he’s welcomed by a Joe Root reverse sweep for four and a scampered single into the covers that takes Root to another half century. Death, taxes… Root and Pope pick off more runs, more singles than a Thursday night in Clapham out there right now.
1 of 2
