Joe Root Hits 38th Test Century in 4th Test vs India at Manchester

Shubham Sangale·25 July 2025 at 9:53 pm IST

Joe Root’s Century in the 4th Test: England’s star batsman Joe Root continued his superb form in the 4th Test match against India at Manchester. On Day 3, Root scored his 38th century in Test cricket, matching the record of former Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara. Root is now the joint fourth-highest century scorer in the history of Test cricket.

Root played a calm and confident innings. He reached his century in the second session by hitting a four off Anshul Kamboj on the first ball of the 96th over. Root took 178 balls to complete his century with a strike rate of 57.87, hitting 12 fours. This was his 12th Test century against India, which shows his strong record against them.

Joe Root’s Century in the 4th Test puts England in a Commanding Position

With this knock, Root also went past Ricky Ponting in the list of highest run scorers in Test cricket and is now second only to Sachin Tendulkar. He also moved ahead of Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis earlier in the match. His consistency and hunger for runs make him one of the best Test batsmen of this generation.

By the tea break on Day 3, England had reached 433/4 in 102 overs, taking a 75-run lead over India’s first-innings total of 358. Root remained unbeaten on 121 runs off 201 balls with 13 boundaries. Captain Ben Stokes was also at the crease, batting on 36 not out.

England looks to be in a strong position in this Test match and may look to press for a win. With this kind of form from Root, India’s bowlers will have to work very hard to make a comeback.

England Leads the Series 2-1

England currently leads the 5-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-1. India has won only one match so far, while England has claimed two wins. Also, India has never won a Test match in Manchester, which puts even more pressure on them in this match.

The big question now is – can India fight back and level the series, or will Root and England extend their dominance? With Root in such form, India’s task looks difficult, but cricket always has room for surprises.