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Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ollie Pope gives the England reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n [We were hoping to speak to Joe Root\u2026] I was hoping you would too! He\u2019s fine, he\u2019s just cramping up a bit, complaining. He owes me one!<\/p>\n [On Root and Ben Stokes suffering camping] They\u2019re both good as gold. They\u2019re just\u2026 northerners.<\/p>\n [On Root\u2019s achievement] His hunger and his drive are just remarkable. Every batter in the changing-room has picked something up from Joe \u2013 not necessarily technique but the way he goes about his cricket and his training. His hunger is awesome. He\u2019s an annoyingly good bloke as well!<\/p>\n He knows the record he\u2019s breaking but he\u2019ll be more happy if we can get this game done and dusted. He\u2019s incredibly humble.<\/p>\n [On the Old Trafford pitch] It\u2019s pretty clear there\u2019s some turn out there, and a few balls are shooting low. It\u2019s not really what we expect on a day three pitch in England. Hopefully, with the position we\u2019re in, it can start happening a bit quicker. We\u2019re well aware that it\u2019ll be tough work when we bat again so hopefully we can make some early inroads when it\u2019s our turn with the ball.<\/p>\n [On England\u2019s tempo] When I was batting with Joe we made a real effort to take singles and push the field as hard as we could. It ebbs and flows \u2013 we tried to dig in for the first hour.<\/p>\n [On his innings] I didn\u2019t feel in my best rhythm in the last two games so I looked at some footage and tried to be really clear about where I wanted to score against each bowler and on this kind of surface. It was pleasing to get a start. I felt in good rhythm but I\u2019d have liked to get a few more. I was pretty annoyed with the way I got out \u2013 it was a ball I should have tried to hit hard through cover. It was a pretty soft dismissal. I\u2019ll learn from it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a>Stumps<\/p>\n England will surely bat on in the morning, aiming to push their lead as close to 250 as possible. Ben Stokes, who will resume on 77 not out, also has the chance to make his first Test hundred since the 2023 Ashes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 135th over: England 544-7 (Stokes 77, Dawson 21) <\/strong>Stokes pulls Siraj in the air for a single. The fielder at square leg didn\u2019t pick it up, much to Siraj\u2019s frustration, though it would have taken some catching regardless.<\/p>\n Siraj knows it\u2019s the final over of a long day and finds the energy to ram a few more short balls into the pitch. They sit up nicely and the majority are pulled for singles.<\/p>\n Five from the over to complete a superb day for England \u2013 they lead by 186 runs<\/strong> \u2013 and a mischievous little guy from Sheffield.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 134th over: England 539-7 (Stokes 74, Dawson 19) <\/strong>Jadeja threatens both edges of Stokes\u2019 bat \u2013 first going past him on the outside, then drawing a thick inside edge that lands safely. His figures aren\u2019t the best \u2013 2 for 117 from 33 overs, with no maidens \u2013 but he has found enough turn and bounce to encourage Liam Dawson.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.28 EDT<\/p>\n 133rd over: England 538-7 (Stokes 73, Dawson 19) <\/strong>Stokes push-drives Bumrah classily through extra cover and hobbles through for three. It would have been four but for a fine stop from Jaiswal.<\/p>\n Just over five minutes until the close.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 132nd over: England 534-7 (Stokes 70, Dawson 18) <\/strong>Jadeja returns, primarily to bowl at the injured Stokes. India\u2019s plan is thwarted when Stokes hobbles a single. Dawson takes the rest of the over and keeps strike with another run off the last ball.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 131st over: England 532-7 (Stokes 69, Dawson 17) <\/strong>Bumrah has never conceded 100 runs or more in a Test innings, an outrageous effort given this is match number 48 and innings number 91. But Bumrah has also conceded 91 runs so that statistic may not last much longer.<\/p>\n \u201cBit concerned about Stokes here,\u201d says Phil Harrison. \u201cHe\u2019s had an hour of ice baths and massages and isotonic drinks and what have you and he\u2019s still really struggling. That doesn\u2019t feel like just cramp to me. After this series, he needs wrapping in cotton wool until November.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 130th over: England 531-7 (Stokes 68, Dawson 17) <\/strong>Stokes winces after pulling his first ball from Siraj round the corner. Does cramp last that long? I assume it can when you take your body to as many dark places as Stokes has in the last few Tests, and indeed the last 20-odd years.<\/p>\n \u201cSince we\u2019re talking about Tendulkar again, I can\u2019t surely be the only one who is utterly baffled as to how he never scored a triple-ton in Test cricket,\u201d says Nicholas Walmsley. \u201cI was only reminded of this when earlier in the summer during the run-drenched first and second Tests I found he was only *checks notes* 60th on the list of most runs scored in a single Test match. You know who else hasn\u2019t scored a triple-ton in Test cricket (yet)? Joe Root.\u201d<\/p>\n I never really thought of it as baffling, simply because so many of the other greats didn\u2019t manage it either: Ponting, Kallis, Richards, Waugh, Dravid, Boycott, Smith, Smith, Gavaskar, Chappell, Chappell, Chappell. One thing I like about Sachin not scoring 300, or even 250, is that it provides another contrast with Brian Lara. There\u2019s more than one way to claim Goat status (or have it claimed on your behalf by thousands of digital pugilists).<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 528-7 (Woakes b Siraj 4)<\/p>\n Mohammed Siraj finally gets his first wicket. Woakes pushed defensively at a nipbacker that kept a bit low, hit the bottom of the bat and deflected back onto the stumps.<\/p>\n Woakes has quietly had a poor series with the bat: 38, 5, 7, 0, 10 and 4. As he leaves the field, Ben Stokes returns to the middle.<\/p>\n Chris Woakes is out for just the four runs. Photograph: Darren Staples\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.17 EDT<\/p>\n 129th over: England 528-6 (Dawson 16, Woakes 4) <\/strong> Woakes inside-edges Bumrah just past the stumps for a single, which takes him to 4 not out from 16 balls. His scoring rate reflects a peculiar end to the day. England are well ahead but India are the team pushing to make something happen. Bumrah bowls a sizzling yorker to Dawson and appeals unsuccessfully for LBW. KL Rahul, standing in briefly for Shubman Gill, doesn\u2019t risk India\u2019s last review.<\/p>\n If it was pad first it looked out but the commentators think Dawson got his bat down first.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 128th over: England 523-6 (Dawson 14, Woakes 2) <\/strong>Siraj dusts himself down in preparation for one final spell. A sharp nipbacker is defended awkwardly by Woakes, prompting Siraj to put his hands to his head. Given how well he has bowled, Siraj\u2019s bowling figures (24-4-105-0) are a minor scandal.<\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the reasons I\u2019m such an avid fan of the England cricket team<\/a> is that, having grown up watching them being routinely thrashed, with one or two notable exceptions, by West Indies and Australia it kind of felt that they were plucky underdogs, the team that couldn\u2019t catch a break, that were at times laughable but at others lovable, always there and giving it a go, but just no match for the world\u2019s best, frustrating and admirable in equal measure,\u201d says Simon McMahon, gulping for breath after an unexpectedly long first sentence. \u201cAlways the hope that next time it would be different. The Scotland of the cricket world, really. Is it any wonder I became a fan and have remained one ever since? But that was then and this is now. A thrilling, winning and likeable team. I like it, but it still takes a bit of getting used to. And I feel I\u2019ll be waiting a while longer for a similar transformation in Scotland\u2019s footballing fortunes.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 127th over: England 523-6 (Dawson 14, Woakes 2) <\/strong>Dawson pulls a no-ball from Bumrah for four. He\u2019s an offensively good Test No8, a man with almost 11,000 runs in first-class cricket. This must be England\u2019s strongest lower order since Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad regularly flogged tiring attacks n 2010-11.<\/p>\n In other news, the OBO is only a small part of our sports coverage this weekend.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 126th over: England 518-6 (Dawson 10, Woakes 2) <\/strong>\u201cJoe Root would already have broken Tendulkar\u2019s record if he\u2019d never been made England captain,\u201d says Joshua Keeling. \u201cDiscuss.\u201d<\/p>\n Please, don\u2019t make me get mathematical on your ass. Root averages 46 as captain and 55 when he\u2019s among the ranks. Even if he averaged 55 throughout his career, he\u2019d be around 1600 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar. I\u2019d also argue his peak as a batter was against India in 2021, when the stress of captaincy was stratospheric.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 125th over: England 516-6 (Dawson 9, Woakes 1) <\/strong>Chris Woakes comes to the crease. India would love to force Ben Stokes\u2019 hand tonight by taking three more wickets.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 515-6 (Smith c sub b Bumrah 9)<\/p>\n Jasprit Bumrah strikes with the first ball of a new spell. Smith was caught on the crease and edged to the sub keeper Jurel, who dived forward to take a fine low catch. The third umpire checked just in case the ball had bounced, but it was the cleanest of takes. Jurel is a class act.<\/p>\n Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Jamie Smith. Photograph: Darren Staples\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.05 EDT<\/p>\n 124th over: England 515-5 (Smith 9, Dawson 9)<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 123rd over: England 513-5 (Smith 9, Dawson 7) <\/strong>Jamie Smith is taking time to get his eye in, another sign that England plan to bat into tomorrow. It\u2019s also quite rare for Smith to start again spin at both ends, although he shows his class by walking down to time Washington through the covers. That\u2019s a fine way to get your first boundary. \u201cAs good a shot as we\u2019ve seen today,\u201d says Dinesh Karthik on Sky.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 122nd over: England 508-5 (Smith 5, Dawson 6) <\/strong>Jadeja has got a second wind. He\u2019s such a competitor that he has probably worked out exactly how India can win this game:<\/p>\n India<\/strong> 357<\/p>\n<\/li>\n England<\/strong> 550<\/p>\n<\/li>\n India<\/strong> 353<\/p>\n<\/li>\n England<\/strong> 127<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n India win by 32 runs<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 121st over: England 504-5 (Smith 2, Dawson 5) <\/strong>Confident batting from Dawson, who skips down the pitch to drive Washington over mid-off for four. England lead by 146.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.31 EDT<\/p>\n 120th over: England 500-5 (Smith 2, Dawson 1) <\/strong>Jadeja pleads with Ahsan Raza to give Dawson LBW first ball. It would have been plumb but for an inside edge onto the pad. India are hunting wickets all of a sudden, with a slip, gully and short leg.<\/p>\n Dawson takes a quick single to get off the mark and bring up England\u2019s 500. In other news, England have confirmed that Stokes left the field with nothing more serious than cramp.<\/p>\n The Root stumping was another masterful bit of glovework from Dhruv Jurel. He\u2019ll be in the starting XI at the Oval next week; that\u2019s his chance to make a case with the bat as well as the gloves. There\u2019s no reason Rishabh Pant couldn\u2019t play as a specialist No5; it might even take him to another level with the bat.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! England 499-5 (Root st sub b Jadeja 150)<\/p>\n Joe Root gets his 59th and final ovation of the day after falling to a terrific delivery from Ravindra Jadeja. It spat past the edge, Root overbalanced and the sub keeper Dhruv Jurel had the bails off in a flash. Lovely glovework and a superb delivery from Jadeja \u2013 one that will encourage the new batter, Liam Dawson.<\/p>\n Joe Root is brilliantly stumped by Dhruv Jurel for a magnificent 150. Photograph: Clive Mason\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.41 EDT<\/p>\n Read Taha Hashim on Joe Root<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 119th over: England 499-4 (Root 150, Smith 2) <\/strong>A single off Washington takes Root to his 16th score of 150 or more in Test cricket<\/strong>. Sixteen! That\u2019s twice as many as Graham Gooch, and he\u2019s the daddy of the daddy hundred!<\/p>\n Most 150+ scores in Tests<\/strong><\/p>\n 20<\/strong> Sachin Tendulkar (Ind)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 19<\/strong> Brian Lara (WI), Kumar Sangakkara (SL)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 18<\/strong> Don Bradman (Aus)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 16<\/strong> Mahela Jayawardene (SL), Joe Root (Eng)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 15<\/strong> Ricky Ponting (Aus)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 118th over: England 498-4 (Root 149, Smith 2) <\/strong>\u201cHullo Rob,\u201d writes Tamsyn Lawrence. \u201cSo what sort of lead should have England thinking of declaration? I feel like 250 should be sufficient to win by an innings or near enough, maybe midway through tomorrow\u2019s second sesh. Seem reasonable? Or do we just call it once all the recognised batsmen are out? I\u2019m looking nervously at the rain forecast for the next two days…\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019d imagine the plan is to make for around an hour in the morning, to demoralise India while also increasing their lead to between 250 and 300. But this England team do things differently so they could declare tonight, or bat on and score 1,000 and then lose the fifth Test and draw the series 2-2 and what the hell Ben.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 117th over: England 495-4 (Root 147, Smith 1) <\/strong>Stokes can return later, or more likely tomorrow morning if England are still batting. The Sky commentators think he has reluctantly accepted that the cramp will restrict his strokeplay as well as his running. If so that\u2019s a sign that Stokes is becoming less stubborn in his old age; a couple of years ago he might have batted on regardless.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Stokes retires hurt on 66<\/p>\n 116th over: England 491-4 (Root 144, Smith 0) <\/strong>Out of nothing, a ball from Jadeja bursts grotesquely, hits Stokes high on the bat handle and loops to safety on the leg side.<\/p>\n Stokes is still struggling and has decided to retire hurt. I think it\u2019s cramp; he doesn\u2019t look as despondent as you\u2019d expect if it was a recurrence of a hamstring injury. We\u2019ll find out soon enough.<\/p>\n Ben Stokes retires hurt. Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.17 EDT<\/p>\n Drinks<\/p>\n <\/strong>I can\u2019t imagine England will consider a declaration tonight. They lead by 131 and will want to extend that to at least 250, possibly more.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 115th over: England 489-4 (Root 143, Stokes 65) <\/strong>Siraj, who limped off the field a while ago, returns for a spell of short stuff. Stokes belabours a pull through midwicket for four, then gets cramp after cutting towards deep point. He starts to walk a single and is given the hurry-up by Washington Sundar\u2019s quick throw.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 114th over: England 482-4 (Root 141, Stokes 60) <\/strong>A short ball from Washington is pulled lustily for four by Stokes, moving him into the sixties. He hasn\u2019t made a Test century since he scared the bejesus out of Australia at Lord\u2019s in 2023.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 113th over: England 477-4 (Root 140, Stokes 56) <\/strong>A ridiculous shot from Stokes. He shapes to reverse sweep Jadeja, slips and has to reach to wallop it towards extra cover. Stokes ends up lying on his front, head tilted slightly so that he can watch the ball go all the way to the boundary.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I\u2019m essentially uninterested in engaging with GOAT discussions that aren\u2019t about Sir Garfield and taking your point about Root\u2019s longevity, he has still some way to go to match Jack Hobbs in that regard, despite a very chequered illness and injury record,\u201d says Geoff Wignall. \u201cEight Test centuries in his 40s and the last of them when 46, after a debut at 26 and an overall Test average in the mid-50s is on the far side of noteworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n I meant volume of Tests! From everything I\u2019ve read, though, he\u2019d be the next on the list of batters in my all-time England XI.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 112th over: England 471-4 (Root 140, Stokes 50) <\/strong>Stokes is struggling against the spinners. He almost offers a return catch to Washington after pad-batting a defensive stroke back down the ground. But he survives and clips a single to reach his first half-century of the Test summer<\/strong>. He is scoring some useful runs despite being a million miles from his peak as a Test batter either side of Covid.<\/p>\n Ben Stokes brings up his fifty. Photograph: Clive Mason\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.03 EDT<\/p>\n 111th over: England 466-4 (Root 137, Stokes 48) <\/strong>Spin from both ends now, with Jadeja replacing the ailing Bumrah. Stokes is beaten by a big-spinning delivery that beats the inside edge and hits the pad. He was outside the line, negating India\u2019s LBW appeal, but Liam Dawson must have moist lips after seeing that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 110th over: England 462-4 (Root 135, Stokes 47) <\/strong>Washington Sundar beats Stokes with a beautiful delivery that curves and dips before spitting past the edge. That lured Stokes so far forward that I\u2019m surprised he didn\u2019t injure an armpit as reached for a defensive stroke,<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 109th over: England 459-4 (Root 133, Stokes 46) <\/strong>Bumrah continues to Root, who drops a single on the off side. No sign yet of England pushing for a declaration or to put time back in the game. The forecast for the next two days is imperfect but reasonably good \u2013 it\u2019s not like the 2023 Ashes Test, when non-stop rain was on every weather forecast in the appsphere.<\/p>\n A bit of housekeeping: on Root\u2019s greatness and comparisons with Sutcliffe, Hutton and the rest, I should have referred to the volume of Test cricket he has played rather than his longevity. I\u2019d love to blame my own longevity, and the consequent impact on my brain, but it was just a lack of concentration.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 108th over: England 458-4 (Root 132, Stokes 46) <\/strong>Washington Sundar, weirdly underbowled in this innings, replaces Thakur. Stokes tries a reverse sweep, doesn\u2019t beat the infield and gives himself a jolt of cramp in the process. He\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 107th over: England 458-4 (Root 132, Stokes 46) <\/strong>Stokes cover drives Bumrah majestically for four, the kind of shot you can\u2019t always play off Bumrah. Maybe it has stirred something in him becuse the next ball nips ball sharply to hit Stokes on the body.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the averages question, what do you think is the minimum number of innings for a \u2018real\u2019 average?\u201d asks Ben Mimmack. \u201cKamindu Mendis is #2 on the official test list at the moment with 62.66 off just 24 innings \u2013 surely too few to be recognised as a great. But Graeme Pollock is widely recognised as one of the finest bats ever with an average over 60, but only 41 innings.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the same reason, my single-digit batting average in club cricket is invalid because I recorded fewer than 100 scores.\u201d<\/p>\n The usual threshold is 20 innings. That made the success of Adam Voges problematic for the hardcore nerds but after eight years of therapy I\u2019m at peace with that now but I still think it\u2019s a reasonable threshold. As long as you provide or aware of the context, I don\u2019t think it matters. It\u2019s those malefactors who use stats irresponsibly that make life difficult.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 106th over: England 450-4 (Root 130, Stokes 41) <\/strong>Stokes again tries to marmalise Thakur and again doesn\u2019t make proper contact. Root shows there\u2019s more than one way to skin a bowler by timing a gorgeous boundary down the ground on the walk.<\/p>\n An under-edge from Root bounces short of Jurel; then he works a single to bring up the 450. England lead by 92.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI share your numb feeling towards Root\u2019s greatness,\u201d writes Dave Tull. \u201cGrowing up watching England v India, I would yearn for England to have a player like Dravid or Tendulkar, who simply never felt like they were going to get out. The idea that we have one in Root still feels so foreign. Is this what actually being good at cricket feels like?!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 105th over: England 442-4 (Root 125, Stokes 39) <\/strong>Bumrah was also injured in the last Test in Australia, a series that could easily have ended 2-2 rather than 3-1 had he been available. He probably shouldn\u2019t be bowling here but it\u2019s India\u2019s last, last, last chance so he\u2019s putting himself through the pain. But the first two overs of this spell have been like watching a tribute act rather than the real thing.<\/p>\n \u201cI always loved watching Ricky Ponting, even \u2013 especially \u2013 when he was the pantomime villain for so many English fans,\u201d writes Boris Starling. \u201cA fabulous batsman (his 156 at Old Trafford in 2005 is still one of the best innings I\u2019ve ever seen), an unbelievably brilliant fielder, and as uncompromising a leader as they come. I\u2019m so glad that in retirement and behind the mike he\u2019s let people see that he\u2019s also clearly an excellent bloke too.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never forgiven him for burning Duncan Fletcher\u2019s toast<\/a> in 2005.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 104th over: England 441-4 (Root 124, Stokes 39) <\/strong>Thakur pleads for LBW when Root walks down and across. It\u2019s similar to the Siraj appeal earlier in the day \u2013 but India were wrong to go upstairs on that occasion and they can\u2019t risk their last review here. It was missing leg.<\/p>\n \u201cI sometimes think we don\u2019t quite understand the golden age of English Test cricket that we\u2019re living through,\u201d writes Phil Harrison. \u201cUntil recently, two nailed-on starters (Root and Anderson) in any all-time England XI and two others who would be very much in the conversation (Stokes and Broad), all in the same team. And I suspect that in a decade we might be talking about Harry Brook and Jamie Smith in similar terms too. Salad days. This winter\u2019s Ashes feel like they could be the culmination of something very special.\u201d<\/p>\n I suspect the lack of an Ashes win, home or away and please let\u2019s not start on the moral victories, is the main reason for that. We still see cricket through, erm, urn-tinted spectacles.<\/p>\n Phil Tufnell and Devon Malcolm have a combined career total of 382 test match runs. Beat that, Root. Photograph: Graham Chadwick\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.22 EDT<\/p>\n 103rd over: England 438-4 (Root 123, Stokes 38) <\/strong>Bumrah starts after tea, although he\u2019s clearly struggling with what looks like an ankle problem. His pace has dropped to between 77-82 mph and there are no alarms for Root or Stokes in that over.<\/p>\n \u201cRegarding your Root comparison with the Don, the greatest certainly had \u2018longevity\u2019 (despite playing significantly fewer Tests, as was the custom of the time),\u201d writes Thomas Walker. \u201cDonald played Test cricket for 20 years, from 1928 to 1948, debuting at 20 years old. He\u2019s basically the benchmark for longevity. So no, I will not countenance any comparison of Root with Bradman. Signed, an Australian.\u201d<\/p>\n What comparison was this? All cricket fans recognise that Don Bradman is the greatest, not least because of all those Test hundreds he scored during World War Two.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n This is Joe Root\u2019s 12th Test century against India.<\/strong> Only Don Bradman (19 v England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 v West Indies) have scored more against a single opponent.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Winnie the Pooh on a lark<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPutting the stature of Joe Root in context might seem daunting because of the titanic nature of his achievement but, like many dreaded tasks, it\u2019s actually a doddle,\u201d writes Robert Wilson. \u201c England fans\u2019 view of him is skewed by fear of failure and disappointment (and the hard-to-dislike instinctive despondency of English cricket followers). All you need to do is model what opposition fans think when they see him schlepping out with bat in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they\u2019re almost certainly thinking is \u2018Oh eff it, here\u2019s this freckled elf come out to get his usual party-pooping 120. What\u2019s the bleedin\u2019 point?\u2019 There is something absolutely relentless about him which you just can\u2019t get if you\u2019re a fan. I remember Steve Waugh doing that to every Brit I knew way back when. At least he had the face for it. The horror of Root is that he crushes it out of you while looking like Winnie the Pooh on a lark. That\u2019s bound to make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIs Root really the GOAT amongst English batters?\u201d<\/strong> says Adrian Goldman. \u201cSurely the immortal Don is still the greatest of the greatest, though he has far fewer runs and centuries than Sachin. On that basis, what about Sutcliffe, Barrington, Hammond, Hobbs and Hutton, all of whom have significantly higher Test averages – above 55\/innings?\u201d<\/p>\n I have a greater appreciation of longevity than I did when I was younger, which is why I would put Root at the top. Bradman is different because his average is entirely preposterous. But either argument is valid and I wouldn\u2019t start abusing anyone on a digital platform for putting Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs or whoever at No1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cJoe Root,\u201d<\/strong> begins Simon McMahon. \u201cIf he could field and bowl a bit, maybe do some impressions, he\u2019d be an all time great.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In the County Championship, Rehan Ahmed has become the first Englishman since Sir Ian Botham <\/strong>to score a century and take 13 wickets in a first-class match. Beefy did it against India in the Golden Jubilee Test of 1979-80, aided by industrial quantities of brandy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.51 EDT<\/p>\n Regular OBO readers<\/strong> will know I don\u2019t like plugging my own work, oh no, but I\u2019m slightly proud of this piece on Joe Root from 2013<\/a>. Not the writing so much as the recognition of unique qualities that endure to this day. You know what they say: game recognise game a stopped clock is right twice a day.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Tea: England lead by 75<\/p>\n 102nd over: England 433-4 (Root 121, Stokes 36) <\/strong>Root cuts the last ball of the season, bowled by Thakur, for a single and walks off to his 48th ovation of the day. His great mate Ben Stokes stands back to let Root leave the field first.<\/p>\n With all these milestones it\u2019s easy to forget that England are in the most wonderful position. The second new ball felt like India\u2019s last chance of getting back in the game; now their best hope is rain, lots of rain.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am somewhere north of 50 years old,\u201d<\/strong> writes John Culley. \u201cMy heroes in the 1980s were Graham Gooch and David Gower, both exceptional and very different talents. Root has as many centuries as they had combined. He really is an underappreciated little master.\u201d<\/p>\n There are only two Little Masters. Four if you count Sunil Gavaskar and Fergie Gupte.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Joe Root becomes the second highest runscorer in Tests!<\/p>\n 101st over: England 432-4 (Root 120, Stokes 36) <\/strong>Bumrah walks in to replace Siraj, only for the umpires to tell him he can\u2019t bowl until after tea because of the time he spent off the field. That means the return of Anshul Kamboj \u2013 and Root dabs a single, the 13,379th run of his Test career, to move above Ricky Ponting and into second on the all-time list.<\/p>\n The Old Trafford crowd give him another ovation, the fourth or fifth of the day. Imagine the noise if he overtakes Sachin Tendulkar. That\u2019s for another day, and indeed year: Sachin is around 2,500 runs ahead of the rest.<\/p>\n In the commentary box Ricky Ponting, who loves cricket far more than he loves himself or his own records, hails Root\u2019s achievement with an enthusiasm you can\u2019t fake.<\/p>\n An all-time great. Photograph: Alex Davidson\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.45 EDT<\/p>\n 100th over: England 428-4 (Root 119, Stokes 32) <\/strong>Ricky Ponting enters the commentary box just in time to see Joe Root join him on 13,378 Test runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more. I don\u2019t know about you but I\u2019m almost numb to Joe Root\u2019s greatness.<\/p>\n Stokes tries to club Thakur into a different postcode, doesn\u2019t make proper contact and breaks his bat in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cOBO handover\u201d is the subject of John Starbuck\u2019s email. \u201cDo OBO scribes have a competition regarding who\u2019s on duty for significant targets achieved?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s done by the clock. That\u2019s been the case ever since a sickening incident when Andy Bull and Lawrence Booth both thought they should call Steven Finn\u2019s first Test fifty.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.35 EDT<\/p>\n 99th over: England 424-4 (Root 116, Stokes 32) <\/strong>Siraj goes for the glory ball, strains too hard and is flicked effortlessly through midwicket for four by Joe Root.<\/p>\n Now Siraj is limping. This is becoming a nightmare for India. Bumrah is on the field but can\u2019t bowl until after tea, and that might be a struggle given how frequently he\u2019s grimacing.<\/p>\n At the end of the over, Siraj moves slowly off the field to receive treatment. Mike Atherton\u2019s arm-wrestle analogy<\/a> feels custom-made for a day like today.<\/p>\n Mohammed Siraj looks in some discomfort. Photograph: Martin Rickett\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.37 EDT<\/p>\n 98th over: England 415-4 (Root 108, Stokes 31) <\/strong>Bumrah is back on the field \u2013 but he looks really uncomfortable and is grimacing every team his foot hits the floor. Shardul Thakur comes on for Kamboj, whose latest spell lasted just two overs, and is milked for four.<\/p>\n It almost beggars belief that Thakur is in the team ahead of Prasidh Krishna, never mind Kuldeep Yadav. India\u2019s selection in this series has been a mess. From afar, Gautam Gambhir always seemed a Rhadamanthine character but he and the selectors have changed their mind on a number of players in this series.<\/p>\n\n
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