Joe Root adds another feather to his cap, breaks world record with stunning catch

LONDON: England’s batting maestro Joe Root achieved another milestone on Friday as he became the all-time leading catcher during the third Test against India at Lord’s.

Joe Root is shattering multiple records in Test cricket. Earlier on the morning of day two, Joe Root surpassed cricketing legends Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith after notching up his 37th century.

After scoring the ton on the first ball of the day,  Root climbed an elite list of most Test centuries. By doing so, he went past Dravid and Steve Smith, both of whom had 36, and edged closer to Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, who has 38.

Most Centuries in Test Cricket

  • Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 51
  • Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 45
  • Ricky Ponting (Australia) – 41
  • Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) – 38
  • Joe Root (England) – 37*

Now, Root has surpassed the record of former India captain Rahul Dravid for taking the most catches in the longest form of the game.

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The 34-year-old demonstrated excellent athleticism when he caught a one-hander stunner of well-set Karun Nair (40) in the first slip off Ben Stokes’ bowling in the 20th over.

Ben Stokes bowled it on the shorter side of a length, which squared up Karun Nair, and Root took it brilliantly to end Nair’s resistance at the home of cricket.

At the time of filing this report, India were 80 for 2 in the last session of Day 2 in their first innings, with KL Rahul (25) and Shubman Gill (2) on the crease.

Most Catches For a Fielder in Tests

211* – Joe Root (296 inns)

210 – Rahul Dravid (301 inns)

205 – Mahela Jayawardene (270 inns)

200 – Steve Smith (225 inns)

200 – Jacques Kallis (315 inns)

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Major blow for India as key player likely to miss first Test against England

LEEDS: In a significant blow to India, Karun Nair, who was set to play his first match since 2017, is doubtful for the first Test against England, which is set to commence tomorrow.

According to the reports, the right-handed batter sustained an injury during the net session while facing pacer Prasidh Krishna.

Karun Nair’s name emerged in 2016 after scoring an unbeaten 303 in his third Test, before disappearing.

However, he earned his place in the Indian team for the England tour after scoring a plethora of runs in Domestic cricket.

The Rajastan-born batter topped the run charts for Vidarbha in the 2024-25 season, having made 863 runs at 53.93 in a title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign.

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Earlier, Nair also had a stellar 50-over season, in which he scored five centuries in eight innings at an impressive average of 389.50 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In addition to this, the 33-year-old batter was also on song for India ‘A’ during the first practice match against England Lions in the first unofficial Test in Canterbury.

He scored his fourth double century in first-class cricket, the second in England. Last year, he smashed a majestic unbeaten double hundred for Northamptonshire.

The five-match Test series will mark the start of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle for both teams, with India set to enter a new era under the leadership of their new captain, Shubman Gill.

For the unversed, India will be without their senior duo, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who recently retired from Test cricket, bringing down the curtain on their illustrious careers.

India squad for England Tests:

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akashdeep, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav.

READ: Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy unveiled for England-India Test series

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