ENG vs IND : Joe Root’s Magnificent 38th Test Century Dismantles India

Joe Root‘s historic day puts England in a firm grip of the fourth Test against India in Manchester. England batted out the complete third day with great control to send India into despair. Resuming the proceedings on 225/2, the hosts went to stumps having added 319 runs for five further losses at 544/7.

It was a day to remember for England veteran Joe Root, who slammed 150 and in the process became the second-highest run-scorer in the Test format. He went past three greats on a single day during a masterful knock. Coming into the Test, Joe Root was the fifth-highest scorer of the format with 13259 runs to his name. He ended the day being the second-highest scorer, going past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting.

He needed 31 runs to go past the first two and did so during the first session of the moving day. Root then had a hundred in his sights and Ponting as the hosts had taken great control with Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes also putting sizeable fifties, with the latter being unbeaten on 77 despite the cramps he suffered earlier. The English maestro is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar in the run-scoring chart in Test cricket as he chases Mt Everest.

Most runs in Test cricket:

This was also Joe Root’s 38th Test ton, which brings him on level with Kumar Sangakkara as the joint-fourth highest century-maker in the format. The only players above him are now Sachin (51), Kallis (45) and Ponting (41).

This is the way Joe Root would have wanted to ascend to No. 2 on the Test run-scoring charts. With an immaculate 150, his 38th century, which did not just certify England’s command of this fourth Test – and, thus, the series – but took it out of India’s reach. They closed day three on 544 for 7, leading by 186 on a deteriorating surface. An innings victory for an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the series is not out of the question.

Day 3 : Session 1 : Ollie Pope and Joe Root’s stellar fifties extends England’s dominance

Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj opened the bowling before Jasprit Bumrah was introduced in the third over, only to be flicked for a four by Joe Root. Siraj was taken for two boundaries by Pope in his second over, while Bumrah followed up with a probing spell and nearly found Pope’s outside edge. India burned their second review when Siraj rapped Joe Root on the pad, but replays showed the ball was sliding down leg.

Day 3 : Session 2 : Joe Root thrashed several milestones enroute his 38th Test century as England extends Lead

The spinners started after Lunch and the England batters continued to pile on the runs, with Joe Root putting away a leg-side delivery from Ravindra Jadeja for a boundary. But the partnership ended on 144 when Washington got one to drift and had Pope edging to KL Rahul at slip.

Another lovely drifter from the offspinner resulted in Harry Brook getting stumped for 3 as Washington Sundar led India’s fightback. Considering the success he got, India delayed the second new ball until the start of the 91st over, by which time England had extended their lead to 20.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled only one over with the new ball before leaving the field. Plenty of boundaries came along as England went past 400 and Joe Root brought up his hundred by glancing Kamboj for a four.

Bumrah’s absence off the field meant that even though he returned after a while, he wasn’t allowed to bowl before Tea. Mohammed Siraj had some concerns, hobbling off the field for a while after bowling an over as India’s woes compounded. Meanwhile, Joe Root, having earlier crossed Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis, also went past Ricky Ponting on the list for most Test runs when he reached 120 just before Tea.

A milestone-laden century from Joe Root further cemented England’s dominance in the fourth Test in Manchester, despite India managing a couple of wickets in the second session on Day 3. Washington Sundar picked up both to momentarily lift India’s spirits, but Root’s 38th Test ton quickly doused any hopes of a fightback.

Over the course of the first two sessions on the third day, Joe Root climbed past three legendary names to move to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers.

At Old Trafford, a sellout crowd hung on every tuck, flick, dab and drive as England’s greatest batter confirmed, statistically, he was the second greatest of all time. Illuminated by Manchester’s generous Friday sun, Root moved past the greats Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting to sidle up next to Sachin Tendulkar. And though Tendulkar still commands an imposing lead at the summit, England’s own little master Joe Root  is coming for him.

It will take time. Certainly longer than it took to knock off three legends in one go. Upon moving to 31, Joe Root snuck past Dravid (13,288) and Jacques Kallis (13,289), bumping the latter off the podium to join Tendulkar and Ponting. And, four minutes before the end of the second session, he walked down to open the face for a single down to third to move to 120, knocking Ponting (13,378) down a peg.

It was here at Old Trafford that Stokes was carried off during the Hundred, suffering the first of two hamstring tears in six months. This, though, was just cramp in his left leg, shaken off 13.1 overs later to return to see out the day.

Stokes wanted to embrace Root when he moved to 13,379 runs, as they had done for the century, after Joe Root tickled his 178th delivery around the corner for his 12th boundary. Instead, turned down by the thumb, he applauded from his end. With solid support from Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes in successive partnerships, England marched to 432/4 at Tea, ahead by 74.

Day 3 : Session 3 : Joe Root’s 150 and Ben Stoke’s all-round effort underlines England’s dominance on Day 3

When Bumrah left the field late in the second session, Bumrah had tripped on the stairs and seemed to have some issue with his ankle. But he started the proceedings in the final session, with Thakur bowling from the other end. Both Joe Root and Stokes collected a couple of boundaries as they extended their partnership past 100 and also the lead past 100, although the England captain was seen holding his left leg with some issue.

Washington came back on to partner Bumrah for a while, and then Jadeja was also introduced. But they were unable to make any inroads as Stokes went on to register his first half-century of the series, capping a strong all-round performance after his five-wicket haul in the first innings. A relatively subdued half-century – just three boundaries, taking 97 deliveries, and his first since last November – took him to an exclusive club of his own. He is now one of three England captains to notch a five-for alongside at least a fifty in a Test.

It was during the 108th over, reverse-sweeping Washington that Stokes started to feel discomfort in his left calf. Seven overs later, his running had become so laboured that England physiotherapist Ben Davies came out to investigate. Stokes would last just one more over before deciding to momentarily call it quits, limping off and up the stairs to the home dressing room, as Jamie Smith replaced him.

Stokes looked to accelerate as he took on Jadeja and Washington, playing a reverse-sweep and a pull off the spinners for two fours. Siraj was brought back and he went short at both batters, only to be hit for a four by Stokes, who appeared to be cramping up and struggling to run. He eventually retired hurt, limping up the stairs to the dressing room. Joe Root went on to bring up his 16th 150-plus score in Tests before Jadeja got one to spin away from him to have him stumped, only for the second time in the batter’s career.

Jamie Smith and Liam Dawson took England past 500 and the lead past 150 before Bumrah returned and had the wicketkeeper-batter caught behind for his first wicket.

But shortly after 6pm, Jamie  Smith had become Jasprit Bumrah’s first wicket of the innings and 50th in England. Dawson then added 13 with Chris Woakes before the latter was bowled by Siraj, who also picked up his first wicket. Stokes returned in the fag end of the day but he wasn’t looking fully fit, hobbling as he tried to run.

But he remained unbeaten along with Dawson at Stumps, seeing off overs from Bumrah, Jadeja and Siraj. The ovation was akin to a hero’s return, joining Liam Dawson, who was batting in Tests for the first time since 2017. Ben Stokes rests on 77, his highest score in ten innings.

England were in complete control on the third day and they have probably batted the visitors out from the Test. They scored 107 runs without losing a wicket in the first session. They put another 101 in the second and lost only Pope and Harry Brook.  The Three Lions kept marching their way well and put another 113 runs by losing three more wickets. Stokes got cramps and retired hurt but came back in the third session as he went unbeaten on 77 with Liam Dawson on 21.

Joe Root’s milestone-filled century powered England to a commanding position on Day 3 of the fourth Test in Manchester. During the course of his 38th Test ton, Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers, going past three legendary cricketers, and stitched together two century partnerships – 144 with Ollie Pope for the third wicket and 142 with Ben Stokes for the fifth. Although Stokes retired hurt (and returned later) and Root fell soon after for 150, England closed the day in complete control at 544 for 7, leading by 186 runs.

Road Ahead on Day 4 for England and India.

Day 3 was A day of great despair for India. Last time they conceded a total of 500-plus was in 2021. The players drag themselves off the field having seen England bat them out of the Test and the series probably. It was always going to be a massive challenge to pull things back with the old ball after the erroneous performance from the bowlers yesterday. They were much better in the first session, holding their line well and not giving away too many easy runs.

But the ball was old and the pitch less helpful. The luck didn’t go their way either and it didn’t take long for things to slip away. You can question the decision of not using Washington Sundar until the 69th over as well. He was arguably the best bowler of the day, even offering a glimmer of hope just after lunch with a couple of wickets in quick succession. But Joe Root, who became the second-highest run-scorer in Tests enroute his 150, pulled the door shut.

The misery didn’t end on the field. There were reports of Bumrah tripping on the stairs, which kept him off the field for a while during the second session. He started the day well but faded off towards the end barring the odd spark like the delivery which got rid of Jamie Smith. Kamboj was made to look ordinary. Thakur was hardly seen. And Siraj bustled in for over after over without much luck, as has been the case with him all series. Luck is what India will need in truckloads if they are to salvage anything from the game. Luck, and a lot of rain.

Saturday is set to bring more toil, and not even the forecasted rain will be long enough to spare them in a meaningful way. While this day will go down as one when Joe Root ascended the second step of Test cricket’s podium, it was also the day this series was taken out of India’s control.

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