Joe Root achieves what Virat Kohli couldn't in his 14-year-long Test career; Sachin Tendulkar did it in 2010 itself

Joe Root smashed a terrific century in the Lord's Test against India, reaffirming his status as one of the modern-day greats.

The legend of Joe Root continues to grow as the former England captain completed his 37th Test century on Day 2 of the third Test against India at Lord’s. Root, who was unbeaten on 99 overnight, needed just a ball to get the remaining run, as he hit a four to register his 8th Test hundred at the hallowed turn of Lord’s. Root, at 34, is the only solid contender to break Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most Test runs, as he trails the Master Blaster by less than 3000 runs, and if his current form is anything to go by, it’s only a matter of time before England’s highest-run scorer reaches the pinnacle.

England's Joe Root in action during the Lord's Test (Action Images via Reuters)

During his innings, Root also completed 3000 runs against a single team – India – something that only Steve Smith has achieved among the current list of active cricketers. With 3417 runs against England, Smith leads the pack, with Root in second position. The fact that Root has been able to amass these many runs against a single opponent underlines his love for the Indian attack. In fact, among the fabled Fab Four, only Root and Smith have been able to breach this mark, while the most Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have gone to is 2232 and 1519 runs against Australia and Pakistan, respectively.

Walking in at a tense situation, with England's scoring reading 44/2 – moments after Nitish Kumar Reddy had struck twice in the same over to remove both openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley – Root faced a charged Indian bowling attack. But what followed was an exhibition of high-class batsmanship which showed Root’s mastery of English conditions.

Root soaked up the initial pressure, respecting the conditions and the bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, and Nitish tested him with a probing spell, but the former England captain was unflappable. He defended solidly and pounced on anything remotely loose. As the ball softened and India’s attack lost some sting in the post-lunch session, Root shifted gears with subtlety, threading cover drives and late cuts to slowly reclaim the rhythm for England.

It was a classic Joe Root innings, anchored in discipline and situational awareness. Alongside Ollie Pope, Root stitched a crucial stand that revived England from the twin setbacks.

Root was stranded at 99 at the end of Day 1 of the Lord's Test, but reached the three-figure mark promptly at the resumption of the play on Friday, bringing it up with an aggressive drive that found a thick outside edge, as the ball raced past between the slips and gully for a four. His century was met with a roar from the Lord’s crowd. It was his 22nd Test century at home, and with it, he went past Steve Smith’s tally of 36 hundreds, reaffirming his place among the premier batters of this generation.

England resume at 251/4

It was an opening day in which momentum shifted between both teams throughout the three sessions; however, the partnership between Root and captain Ben Stokes ensured England returned to the dressing room positively after the early blows in the final session, where they lost Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.