In yet another historic feat, Joe Root moved past Ricky Ponting to become the second-leading run-getter in Test cricket. This fantastic milestone was attained during the fourth Test of the ongoing five-match series between England and India at Old Trafford.
A steered dab behind point did it for Root, who moved to 120* with the single. For the unversed, Ponting had registered 13378 runs in 168 Tests (287 innings), a landmark Root surpassed playing 11 Tests and one innings fewer 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 | 13380* |
| Ricky Ponting | 1995-2012 | 168 | 287 | 13378 |
| Jacques Kallis | 1995-2013 | 166 | 280 | 13289 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1996-2012 | 164 | 286 | 13288 |
*as of Tea on July 25, 2025
A while earlier, he had created history by equalling Kumar Sangakkara in terms of the number of Test tons (38) scored throughout his red-ball career. At the time of writing, England are placed at 433/4 in 102 overs, with Root (121* off 201) and Ben Stokes (36* off 68) unbeaten in the middle. The hosts have a lead of 75 runs and would aim on maximizing it in the next session.
Speaking of the series so far, Root did not quite have the best outings in the first couple of games. The prolific top-order batter could only score one 50-plus score. He bounced back with a ton (104) and a solid 40 at Lord’s. Having already got to his ton and looking quite established at the crease, the former English skipper will be keen on making the most out of the remainder of the series.
England, who already have a 2-1 lead in the bag, will be aiming on going for the win by scoring some quick runs in the remainder of the session and the first few hours of Day 4 before declaring and bowling out the hosts to potentially claim an innings win.
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