The legend of Joe Root keeps expanding; on Day 2 of the third Test against India at Lord's, the former England captain scored his 37th Test century. At the sacred turn of Lord's, Root, who had been undefeated overnight at 99, only needed one more ball to score the remaining run, which he did by hitting a four to record his eighth Test century. With 34 years old and less than 3000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar, Root is the only real candidate to surpass the Master Blaster's record for the most Test runs. If his present form is any indication, it's just a matter of time until England's highest run scorer reaches the top.

Root also surpassed 3000 runs against India during his innings, a feat that only Steve Smith has accomplished in the current crop of players. Smith is the front runner, followed by Root in second place, with 3417 runs against England. Root's affection for the Indian attack is demonstrated by the fact that he has scored so many runs against a single adversary. As a matter of fact, of the legendary Fab Four, only Root and Smith have been able to surpass this barrier, with Virat Kohli scoring 2232 runs against Australia and Kane Williamson scoring 1519 runs against Pakistan, respectively.

Root walked into a tense atmosphere, facing a strong Indian bowling attack, just moments after Nitish Kumar Reddy had hit two balls in the same over to dismiss both openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, with England's score reading 44/2. However, what followed was an exhibition of top-notch batting skills that demonstrated Root's command of English conditions.

Respecting the bowlers and the circumstances, Root absorbed the initial force. Nitish, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Jasprit Bumrah put the former England captain through a challenging spell, but he was unfazed. He made a strong defense and seized upon any opportunity, no matter how little. With India's attack losing steam in the post-lunch session as the ball became softer, Root made a subtle change of pace, threading cover drives and late cuts to gradually bring the tempo back in favor of England.

The innings was a typical Joe Root knock, founded on situational awareness and discipline. Root and Ollie Pope formed a crucial partnership that brought England back from the two losses.

Root was stuck at 99 at the conclusion of the first day of the Lord's Test, but he quickly reached the three-figure mark when play resumed on Friday. He scored a four with a strong drive that located a thick outside edge as the ball raced between the slips and gully. The crowd at Lord's gave him a thunderous ovation for his century. With his 22nd Test century at home, he surpassed Steve Smith's total of 36 hundred, solidifying his position as one of the top batsmen of this era.

England restarts at 251/4

The first day saw momentum swing back and forth between the two teams across all three sessions, but the partnership between Root and captain Ben Stokes made sure that England went back to the locker room with a smile on their faces after the early blows in the last session, when they lost Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.

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