Former England captain Joe Root now holds the record for most catches by a cricketer in Test cricket history. He was tied with legendary Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid with 210 catches each. However, after a stunning catch to send Karun Nair packing on Day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s, Root surpassed Dravid and now holds the record.
The 34-year-old had a gunning day with the bat on Day 1 of the Test, and on the following day, he completed his century. It was his 37th ton in Test cricket as the cricketer is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara in the longest format. He is also chasing Tendulkar for the most runs in Test cricket history. Currently, he is only 2702 runs behind.
Most catches in Test cricket
| Players | No of catches |
| Joe Root | 211 |
| Rahul Dravid | 210 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 205 |
| Steve Smith | 200 |
| Jacques Kallis | 200 |
Notably, he surpassed Dravid in the 21st over of India’s batting. Karun seemed to be in good shape and was nearing his half-century, but eventually fell to England captain Ben Stokes. He seemed to be in two minds and wasn’t sure whether to play it, but eventually did, and it edged to the slips. With a possibility of a catch looming, Root stretched to his left to pick up a brilliant low catch.
There were doubts about whether Root claimed it clean but the cricketer was absolutely sure. Nevertheless, the umpires referred it to the third umpire, who confirmed that Karun will have to walk back to the dressing room. With that, India were reduced to 74/2.
Gill, Rahul in focus
India will now depend heavily on the partnership of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul. The India captain has been in fine form and hit 269 and 161 at Edgbaston. He will be eyeing to keep up with the momentum as India depend heavily on his success. Keeper-batter Rishabh Pant suffered an injury in the first innings, and it's unclear whether he can keep going in the middle. That puts immense pressure on Rahul and Gill.