Joe Root etched his name further into cricket's record books with a magnificent century against India at Lord's on July 11, 2025. This wasn't just another century for the former England captain; it was a historic one that saw him enter an elite club of batsmen and break several long-standing records.

Root's innings was a masterclass in Test match batting, combining solid defense with elegant strokeplay. He reached his century off 192 balls, demonstrating patience and determination against a challenging Indian bowling attack. This was his 37th Test century, surpassing the tallies of Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith, both of whom have 36 centuries. Sachin Tendulkar leads the list of century makers in Test cricket with 51 tons.

With this century, Root equaled Steve Smith's record of 11 Test centuries against India. He has been most prolific against India, scoring 11 centuries against them. In the process, Root also became the first player to score 3000 runs against India in Test cricket. He also joined Gary Sobers and Sachin Tendulkar as the only batters to score over 3000 runs in a non-Ashes Test rivalry.

Adding another feather to his cap, Root joined Michael Vaughan and Sir Jack Hobbs as the third English batter to score three consecutive centuries at Lord's. Among international batters, only Dilip Vengsarkar has the distinction of a hat trick of hundreds at Lord's. This was also Root's eighth Test century at Lord's, the most by any batsman in the history of the ground. Former England captains Vaughan and Graham Gooch are in second place with six hundreds each.

Root now holds the record for the most runs at Lord's across all formats. This century also marked Root's 103rd fifty-plus score in Tests, putting him in joint second place alongside Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting on the all-time list, only behind Sachin Tendulkar.

Root's remarkable achievement was met with widespread praise from fellow cricketers and fans alike. His ability to consistently score runs at the highest level has made him one of the modern greats of the game. As of July 2025, Root has scored centuries against seven of the other eleven Test-playing nations. Root has played 156 Tests, 179 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 32 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), scoring 37 Test centuries and 18 ODI centuries as of July 2025.