Joe Root added another feather to his cap on Day 4 of the fifth Test at The Oval as he notched up yet another half-century, taking his tally of 50-plus scores against India in home conditions to a record 16. The England great now stands level with Herbie Taylor and only behind Sir Don Bradman, who had 17 such scores against England in Australia.
Most 50-plus scores against an opponent in home Tests
17 – Sir Don Bradman (AUS) vs ENG16 – Herbie Taylor (SA) vs ENG16 – Joe Root (ENG) vs IND* Root’s knock on Sunday came at a tense time for England, who were reeling at 164 for 3 at lunch, still needing 210 runs to win the match and seal the series 3-1. Alongside Harry Brook, Root showed remarkable composure, soaking up the pressure and slowly shifting the momentum in England’s favour.
At the time of writing, Root was batting on 60* while Brook was closing in on a century at 84*. Their unbroken stand has taken England to 251 for 3 in 54 overs, with just 123 more runs needed for a famous win.
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Root also achieved another significant milestone during this innings — this was his 57th fifty-plus score in Tests at home, making him the joint second-most in history alongside Jacques Kallis and Mahela Jayawardene. Only Ricky Ponting, with 61 such scores in Australia, is ahead of him. Earlier in the day, India struck early with the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. Duckett was dismissed by Prasidh Krishna for 54 while Pope fell to a sharp in-ducker from Siraj for 27. Root then stepped in to anchor the innings, continuing his rich vein of form in this high-stakes series.
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