Joe Root notched up the 37th Test century of his career on the second day of the ongoing Lord's Test against India. With this ton, he created an all-time record, becoming the player with the joint-most centuries vs India in the longest format of the game.
This is Root's 11th Test hundred against India, as he has plundered more than 3000 runs against them and is the only player to do so in the format. Only Steve Smith has as many centuries while facing India in red-ball cricket. Gary Sobers, Vivian Richards and Ricky Ponting are next on this list, having amassed eight tons against India.
Players with most centuries against India in Tests
| Players | Centuries |
| Joe Root (England) | 11 |
| Steve Smith (Australia) | 11 |
| Gary Sobers (West Indies) | 8 |
| Vivian Richards (West Indies) | 8 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 8 |
Joe Root goes past Rahul Dravid and Smith
With his 37th Test century, Root has also gone past Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith on the list of players with the most hundreds in the longest format. Root now has the fifth-most 100+ scores in Test cricket, only behind Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar.
Players with most centuries in Test cricket
| Players | Centuries |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 51 |
| Jacques Kallis (South Africa) | 45 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 41 |
| Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 38 |
| Joe Root (England) | 37 |
Root curbs instincts to churn out hard-fought century
Joe Root's century at Lord's is arguably one of the best of his illustrious career as he curbed his instincts, thanks to some disciplined bowling from India. He kept the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj at bay right through and also dealt with an uneven Lord's surface superbly. England will now be hoping that he converts this into a big knock and helps England post a massive total in the first innings.
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