England's ace batter Joe Root shone with the bat in the team's ongoing Lord's Test against India in London. The 34-year-old notched up his 37th century in the format, finishing with a well-made 104-run knock in 199 balls in his team's first innings.
Root remained unbeaten on 99 at Stumps on Day 1. He crossed the 100-run mark with a four off Jasprit Bumrah's bowling on the very first ball of the second day. He continued his wonderful run at Lord's, completing his eighth Test ton at the iconic venue.
It is worth noting that this was his 11th Test ton against India. He now has the joint-most tons with Australia's Steve Smith against the Indian side.
Root received some criticism for his twin failures at Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the second Test of the series. The seasoned campaigner registered scores of 22 and 6 in England's 336-run defeat.
However, he silenced his naysayers with a stunning performance at Lord's. The former England captain bagged widespread praise on social media for his batting exploits.
Here are some of the top reactions on X:
"THE GREAT WALL OF ENGLAND," wrote a fan.
"Joe Root doesn't need to prove, he is indeed the greatest Test batter of this modern era. The greatest ever," commented a fan.
"Joe Root England’s royal blade, carving his legacy into the heart of Test cricket," remarked another.
"Joe Root isn't just scoring centuries — he's etching his name into cricketing eternity. 37 Test tons, over 13,000 runs, and still growing stronger at 35. From elegance to endurance, Root is the modern-day spine of Test cricket. Lord’s just witnessed legacy in motion," chimed in yet another.
Root now has the fifth-most centuries in Test cricket. The only batters ahead of him in the elite list are Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), and Kumar Sangakkara (38).
Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Joe Root for the 11th time in Test cricket
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah provided India with a massive breakthrough by sending back Joe Root early on Day 2. He bowled a full-length delivery on the first ball of the 88th over.
The ball took the inside edge of Root's bat and crashed into the middle stump. This was the 11th time that Bumrah dismissed Root in Test cricket. He matched the Australia captain Pat Cummins' feat, who has also claimed the English batter's wicket 11 times in the format.
To make matters worse for England, the hosts lost Chris Woakes on the very next ball. The bowling all-rounder was out caught behind, leaving England reeling at 271/7.
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