Joe Root equals Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy record in WTC

Joe Root has equalled Virat Kohli's record for the third-most Test wins as captain in World Test Championship (WTC) history, reaching 14 victories after England defeated Pakistan by 194 runs in the second Test at Lord's. Root reached the mark in his 35th WTC match as captain, with the latest win helping England take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Virat Kohli had previously registered 14 wins as India's WTC captain, while Pat Cummins leads the list with 25 victories. Ben Stokes sits second with 21 wins. Root, who is currently leading England in Test cricket, has now moved level with his former India counterpart in the WTC captaincy record.

Also Read: WTC Points Table after England vs Pakistan 2nd Test, 2026

Joe Root's England crush Pakistan in Lord's Test

England produced another dominant performance at Lord's to defeat Pakistan by 194 runs and take a 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

Pakistan won the toss and opted to field, but England recovered from 36/3 to post 290 in their first innings. Jordan Cox scored 55, Jamie Smith made 61 and Gus Atkinson added 45, while Josh Tongue remained unbeaten on 30. Mohammad Abbas was Pakistan's standout bowler with four wickets.

England's bowling attack then dismantled Pakistan for just 110, giving the hosts a first-innings lead of 180 runs. Ollie Robinson claimed 4/11, Jofra Archer took three wickets and Josh Tongue picked up two.

England were bowled out for 208 in their second innings, with Dan Lawrence top-scoring with 54. Mohammad Abbas claimed five wickets, but Pakistan were set a daunting target of 389.

Saud Shakeel's 97 gave Pakistan hope in the fourth innings, but England's bowlers finished the job. Robinson took another four wickets, while Tongue claimed three and Archer two as Pakistan were dismissed for 194. The victory gave England 12 WTC points, while Pakistan received none.

Joe Root draws level with Virat Kohli in WTC captaincy record

Root's 14th WTC victory puts him alongside Virat Kohli in the list of captains with the most wins in the championship's history. Joe Root has now won 14 of his 35 WTC matches as captain, giving him a 40% win percentage.

Cummins comfortably leads the chart with 25 wins and a 62.50% win percentage, while England captain Stokes is second with 21 wins. Kohli is third alongside Root with 14 victories, although his 63.63% win percentage is considerably higher.

Rohit Sharma has 12 WTC wins, while South Africa's Temba Bavuma and New Zealand's Tom Latham have 11 each.

Joe Root surpasses 'coach' Stephen Fleming's in elite Test captaincy list

Root also moved ahead of Stephen Fleming in the all-time list for most Test wins as captain. His 29th victory as England captain took him past Fleming, who finished his captaincy career with 28 Test wins.

Graeme Smith leads the overall chart with 53 Test victories as captain, followed by Ricky Ponting with 48 and Steve Waugh with 41. Kohli is fourth with 40 wins, while Clive Lloyd and Allan Border occupy fifth and sixth spots respectively.

Root now sits seventh with 29 wins, one ahead of Fleming. The England batter also remains ahead of several other legendary captains, including Hansie Cronje, MS Dhoni and Viv Richards.