Joe Root entered his name in the history books on Friday (July 11), as he broke India’s Rahul Dravid’s record for most catches in Test cricket. He attained the world record on day 2 of the ongoing third Test between England and India, being played at Lord’s Stadium.
England, who chose to bat first after Ben Stokes won the toss, posted 387 runs in their first innings. Joe Root led from the front, scoring 104, while Jamie Smith (51) and Brydon Carse (56) ensured that the tail wagged.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets, while Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy took two wickets.
Then Jofra Archer, playing his first Test since 2021, got England their first wicket, having Yashasvi Jaiswal caught in slips for 13 runs. Then KL Rahul and Karun Nair added 61 runs for the second wicket, until Joe Root happened.
Karun Nair looked good for his 40, hitting 4 fours, when Ben Stokes bowled a delivery short on the length and squared Nair up. The ball took the edge and went between Smith and Joe Root. Root dived low towards his right and barely got his fingers underneath the ball to complete the catch.
The on-field umpires sent the decision upstairs, and the TV umpire, after multiple replays, was convinced that Root had his fingers under the ball and gave Nair out.
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This was Joe Root’s 211th catch in his Test career, and went past Rahul Dravid’s record of 210 catches. Now Dravid is pushed to the second spot, with Mahela Jayawardene at the third spot with 205 catches, Jacques Kallis is now fourth with 200 catches, the same as Australia’s Steve Smith.
Most catches in Test cricket:
Joe Root (England) – 211
Rahul Dravid (India) – 210
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) – 205
Steve Smith (Australia) – 200
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) – 200
