Joe Root rewrites history books: Full list of records from his iconic 39th Test ton at The Oval

Joe Root produced a masterclass on Day 4 (Sunday, August 3) of the final Test at The Oval, scoring a brilliant century to guide England close to a series-clinching win. Root not only anchored England's chase but also surpassed several individual milestones before rain brought an early end to the day’s play.

England resumed the fourth day at 50/1 while chasing a mammoth target of 374 runs. India removed two England batters before lunch, reducing the home team to 106/3. However, Joe Root and Harry Brook steadied the innings with a 195-run partnership that shifted the momentum in England’s favor.

Joe Root Becomes First Batter to Complete 6000 Runs in WTC History

Joe Root scored 105 off 152 balls with 12 boundaries. He was dismissed in the 73rd over by Prasidh Krishna, leaving England at 337/6. Bad light and rain interrupted play, pushing the series decider to Day 5. England need 35 more runs for victory, while India require four wickets to square the series.

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Root became the first cricketer to surpass 6,000 runs in the history of the World Test Championship (WTC). The England batter has scored 6,080 runs at an impressive average of 52.86, with 21 centuries and 22 fifties. Steve Smith is in second place among run-getters, with 4,278 runs from 55 matches.

Most Runs in ICC World Test Championship (2019-2025):

Joe Root Equals Record for Most 50+ Scores in Fourth Innings of Tests

Root added another remarkable milestone to his name with his gritty hundred. It was the 13th time he scored fifty or more in the fourth innings of a Test match.

The right-handed batter joined an elite list that includes Graeme Smith (41 innings), Chris Gayle (43 innings), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (49 innings), all of whom also reached the 50-run mark 13 times in the fourth innings.

Root achieved the feat in 53 fourth-innings appearances. He went past the Indian great Sunil Gavaskar, who had 12 such scores. This milestone once again highlighted Root’s consistency and composure in pressure situations during run chases.

Joe Root Moves to Fourth on All-Time Test Century List

Root scored his 39th century in Test cricket. He surpassed Kumar Sangakkara to reach fourth place on the all-time list of most Test hundreds, behind Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), and Ricky Ponting (41).

It was also Root’s 24th Test hundred on home soil, making him the player with the most centuries in their own country. He moved past Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting, who each had 23 home tons.

This was Root’s 13th century against India, placing him joint-second for the most hundreds against a single opponent in Test history. Sunil Gavaskar also scored 13 centuries against the West Indies, while Don Bradman leads the list with 19 tons against England.

Also read: Mohammed Siraj becomes second Indian cricketer in history to achieve this remarkable milestone