25 July,2025 08:48 PM IST | Manchester | mid-day online correspondent
Joe Root (Pic: AFP)
Joe Root delivered yet another masterclass with the bat as he notched up his 38th Test century, powering England to 433 for four at tea on Day 3 of the fourth Test against India. With Root's unbeaten 121 and an unbroken 84-run partnership with captain Ben Stokes (36'), England secured a 75-run first-innings lead and tightened their grip on the match.
Resuming on 225 for two in the morning, Root and Ollie Pope picked up from where they left off, showing complete command over the Indian attack. The pair added 107 runs in a wicketless first session, taking England to 332 for two at lunch. The Indian bowlers, inconsistent and lacking intensity, allowed both batsmen to score freely, with Jasprit Bumrah and company guilty of bowling too many deliveries on the pads or short of a length.
Bumrah's opening delivery of the day, a full ball on the pads, was flicked for four by Root, a sign of things to come. Neither Bumrah nor Siraj managed to build sustained pressure, and debutant Anshul Kamboj remained ineffective, although he did create a chance early on that Dhruv Jurel, standing behind the stumps, failed to grab when Pope was on 48.
After lunch, India finally found some respite through off-spinner Washington Sundar, who struck twice in quick succession. First, he had Pope caught at first slip for a well-made 71 off 128 balls, before dismissing Harry Brook for just 3 with a clever piece of bowling that saw the batter stumped. Both wickets came after India surprisingly opted to continue with spin from both ends despite taking the second new ball.
But Root remained unfazed. Calm and composed, he reached his century, his 38th in Test cricket, with a glance down the leg side off Kamboj. With that boundary, he also laid the foundation for England's eventual first-innings lead. Minutes later, the 34-year-old scripted another milestone, overtaking Australia's Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history, behind only Sachin Tendulkar.
Root's knock was a study in balance and precision. He used the reverse sweep effectively against both Jadeja and Sundar and looked comfortable playing off the back foot on a surface offering little assistance to the bowlers.
Adding to India's concerns was Bumrah's brief absence from the field just after the second new ball was taken. The pacer bowled only one over before walking off and was not allowed to bowl again until after the tea break due to regulations.
(With PTI inputs)
