London: England star batter Joe Root shattered a historic record in Test cricket as he slammed yet another masterful hundred in the fifth Test against India at the Oval. Root slammed his third century of the five-match series against the Indian team and went past three legends with his third ton.
Root has shattered the record for most centuries hit by a player in a home country in Test cricket. He went past three former greats – Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting – at one go and now sits on top of the tree with 24 tons in England.
Most centuries by a player in Test cricket at home:
1 – Joe Root: 24 centuries in England
2 – Mahela Jayawardene: 23 centuries in Sri Lanka
3 – Jacques Kallis: 23 centuries in South Africa
4 – Ricky Ponting: 23 centuries in Australia
5 – Kumar Sangakkara: 22 centuries in Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, this was Root’s 39th Test ton, which puts him clear of Kumar Sangakkara and fourth on the list of most centuries scored in Test cricket. The tally is led by Sachin Tendulkar, followed by Kallis and Ponting on second and third, respectively.
Most Test hundreds:
51 – Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
45 – Jacques Kallis (SA)
41 – Ricky Ponting (AUS)
39 – Joe Root (ENG)*
38 – Kumar Sangakkara (SL)
Notably, this is also Root’s 13th Test ton against India, which is now two more than what Steve Smith had against the Indian team. The record for most Test centuries against an opponent belongs to Don Bradman, who had slammed 19 tons against England in the format.
Most Test hundreds against an opponent:
19 – Don Bradman (AUS) vs England
13 – Sunil Gavaskar (IND) vs West Indies
13 – Joe Root (ENG) vs India
12 – Jack Hobbs (ENG) vs Australia
12 – Steven Smith (AUS) vs England
Meanwhile, Root was dismissed on 105 in the third session of the day as India sensed a window for a comeback.
