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England’s Test captain Joe Root has added another huge achievement to his already legendary career. Joe Root created history during the third and final Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston, reaching a record that no other batter had achieved in the 147-year history of Test cricket.
In another milestone, Root’s latest numbers bring an interesting comparison with Virat Kohli in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) after he guided England to a 3-0 Test series win over Pakistan. Amid this, KL Rahul in line to replace Shreyas Iyer as India's ODI vice-captain.
Joe Root surpasses Virat Kohli in WTC wins after England’s Pakistan whitewash
Joe Root has surpassed Virat Kohli in terms of success at the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) after England whitewashed Pakistan in the three-match Test series at home. He became the more successful captain than Kohli in the ICC World Test Championship.
Root has more WTC wins than Kohli, although the former Indian captain has a better win percentage. In the WTC era, Pat Cummins is the most successful captain with 25 wins at a 62.50% win rate, followed by Ben Stokes with 21 wins at 52.50%.
The current Test captain of England has 15 wins at 41.66%, while Kohli has 14 wins at 63.63%. Rohit Sharma has 12 wins at 50%, while Temba Bavuma and Tom Latham have 11 each.
Most Test Wins in WTC (Win %)
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) September 12, 2026
25 - Pat Cummins (62.50%)
21 - Ben Stokes (52.50%)
15 - 𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘁 (41.66%)
14 - Virat Kohli (63.63%)
12 - Rohit Sharma (50.00%)
11 - Temba Bavuma (91.66%)
11 - Tom Latham (55.00%)#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/LkKaRqh2oP
Joe Root becomes first batter to cross 2,000 fourth-innings runs
Joe Root also became the first batter in Test history to score more than 2,000 runs in the fourth innings. He reached the milestone during his unbeaten 62 against Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston. Root now has 2,059 fourth-innings runs, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 1,625.
Alastair Cook and Graeme Smith are next with 1,611 runs each, followed by Shivnarine Chanderpaul with 1,580 runs. The fourth innings is one of the toughest stages for any Test batter, and Root did the excellent job in the red-ball cricket.
He also has the most Test runs in the third innings. The England batter has scored 3,562 runs in 82 matches in the third innings. Root overtook Australian legend Allan Border in the chart, while Steve Smith is the only active player among the leading batters with 2,194 runs.
Edgbaston becomes Root’s fourth 1,000-run ground
Root also created history at Edgbaston by becoming the first batter to score more than 1,000 Test runs at the famous Birmingham venue. Earlier, Mohammed Shami sends direct message to Ajit Agarkar.
He needed 52 runs before the match to reach the mark and completed it during his unbeaten 62. Root now has 1,018 runs at Edgbaston. His other three 1,000-run venues are Lord’s with 2,203 runs, Manchester with 1,128, and The Oval with 1,050.
Joe Root enters elite club with huge Test milestone
Root is now only the third batter in Test history to score 1,000 or more runs at four different venues. He has joined South African legend Jacques Kallis and Australian great Ricky Ponting on the elite list. Kallis achieved this record at Newlands, Centurion, Kingsmead, and the Wanderers.
The South Africa legend's best tally came at Newlands, where he scored 2,181 runs in 22 Tests at an average of 72.70, including nine centuries and nine half-centuries. He also scored 1,267 runs at Centurion, 1,266 at Kingsmead and 1,148 at the Wanderers.
