Key Points
- Root scored 537 runs in Test series, including three centuries and a top score of 150
- The India-England Test series set a new world record with 50 fifty-plus scores
- Root also became the first cricketer to reach 6,000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship
- He now ranks second in all-time Test run-scorers
ISLAMABAD: England’s star batter Joe Root has once again written his name in cricket history books by breaking a long-standing record held by two Pakistani greats, Zaheer Abbas and Younis Khan.
Root has become the first player in Test history to score over 500 runs in a series against India on three separate occasions, setting a new benchmark of consistency and class.
The milestone came during the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 of the India-England series at The Oval, where Root scored a stylish 105 off 152 balls.
That innings pushed his series total to 537 runs at an impressive average of 67.12, including three centuries, with a top score of 150.
Pakistani legend Zaheer Abbas had scored 650 and 583 runs in two memorable series against India in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while Younis Khan notched 553 and 508 in the 2000s.
Both managed the feat twice — a record Root has now passed with his third 500+ series haul against India.
Root had previously scored 518 runs in 2014 and a jaw-dropping 737 runs in the 2021-22 home series.
With this latest achievement, he joins England legends Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs, and Ken Barrington as the only Englishmen to score 500+ runs in a Test series four times.
But the records don’t stop there. The five-match series between India and England has set a new world record with 50 scores of fifty or more, the most ever in any five-Test series.
India leads with 28, while England contributed 22. This also made it the highest-scoring five-match series in Test history, overtaking the 6,606-run total of the 1928-29 Ashes.
Adding to his glittering stats, Root became the first player to score 6,000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) — topping a list of elite batters that includes Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Ben Stokes.
His WTC record is staggering: 20 centuries, 23 fifties, and an average above 52 in 69 matches.
Earlier in the series, Root also overtook legends like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in men’s Test cricket.
He now shares fourth place for most Test centuries (38) with Kumar Sangakkara, and holds the record for most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test history.
From a young debutant in Nagpur in 2012 to one of the game’s most reliable and stylish run-machines, Joe Root’s journey continues to sparkle — and his love affair with Indian bowlers doesn’t look like ending anytime soon.
