England’s Joe Root moved into third place on the all-time Test cricket run scorers list on Friday, surpassing both Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis during the third day of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.
Root reached 13,322 career Test runs, overtaking the Indian and South African greats. He is now just 57 runs short of Australia’s Ricky Ponting (13,378), with India’s Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) still leading the list.
The 34-year-old remained 63 not out at lunch alongside Ollie Pope on 70 not out, as England reached 332-2, only 26 runs behind India’s first innings total of 358.
Root’s achievement came during a dominant morning session for England, which resumed play on 225-2. The hosts added 107 runs off 28 overs, aiming to build a significant first-innings lead and clinch the five-match series, which they currently lead 2-1.
The day wasn’t without close calls. Root narrowly escaped being run out on 22 after a mix-up with Pope and earlier survived a close leg-before-wicket appeal.
England had already seized momentum on day two with a 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, putting them firmly in control of the match.
