Joe Root had a day to remember at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium, Manchester, on Friday (July 24) as he went past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter in Test cricket history while scoring his 38th Century during the fourth Test match between England and India in the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Root now has the joint-fourth most centuries in Test cricket history as he continued his unprecedented run of form. The 34-year-old has scored his second consecutive century, having also got to the three-figure mark in the first innings of the third Test at Lord's.

The knock marked Root's ninth Test ton against India, making him the first player in history to score as many centuries against the same opponent at home. He broke a record held by Don Bradman, who hit eight centuries against England in Australia with the first coming in 1928 and the last in 1946.

Player	Country	Opponent	Centuries At Home
Joe Root	England	India	9
Don Bradman	Australia	England	8
Ricky Ponting	Australia	India	7
Steve Smith	Australia	India	7

Root's run rally against India on English soil is also the best any player has achieved at home against the Asian giants, as well as second on home soil against any team behind Bradman vs Australia.

Overall, this was Root's 23rd Test ton in England, which is the joint-most by a player in one country alongside Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Ricky Ponting (Australia), and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka).

The ton in Manchester was Root's 12th against India, which is the most by any player against India and the joint-third most by a player against one opponent alongside John Hobbs (12 vs Australia) and Steve Smith (12 vs England) behind just Don Bradman (19 vs England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 vs West Indies).

Player	County	Centuries
Joe Root	England	12
Steve Smith	Australia	11
Ricky Ponting	Australia	8
Viv richards	West Indies	8
Gary Sobers	West Indies	8

Meanwhile, Root also completed 20 centuries in the World Test Championship (WTC) and is the first player to reach that feat. No other player has more than 13 since the tournament's inception in 2019.

Most WTC Tons

Player	Country	Centuries
Joe Root	England	20
Steve Smith	Australia	13
Marnus Labuschagne	Australia	11
Kane Williamson	New Zealand	11
Rohit Sharma	India	9

Root was ultimately dismissed after making a knock of 150 by Ravindra Jadeja. The England batting legend ensured that the hosts have a lead that is nearing 200 runs and are set for a victory which will ensure a series win for them.