Resuming play on 99, Joe Root wasted no time, guiding the first ball of the morning, a slightly fortuitous edge off Jasprit Bumrah, through the gully for four to notch up his 37th Test century in style on the second day of the ongoing third Test between India and England at Lord’s on Friday. With this, the former England captain marked his 11th century against India and a record-extending eighth at Lord’s.

At 34, Root has entered rarefied air among the game’s greats. He now stands alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Kumar Sangakkara, becoming only the fifth batter in Test history to reach 37 centuries. The innings also marked his first hundred in the current five-Test series.

Root`s dominance over India is unparalleled in the modern era. With this latest century, he joined Steve Smith at the top of the list for most Test hundreds against India, both now boasting 11. While Smith achieved the feat in 46 innings, Root has done so in 60. Their averages in these contests remain closely matched: Smith leads slightly with 58.90, while Root trails by a whisper at 58.73.