Joe Root has climbed to become the third highest run-scorer in Test cricket, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. In the ongoing fourth Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 series between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, Joe Root achieved this remarkable milestone. He surpassed former Indian great Rahul Dravid and South African legend Jacques Kallis to claim third place on the all-time Test runs list.
Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests, while Kallis accumulated 13,289 runs across 166 matches. Joe Root now ranks just behind Tendulkar, who leads with 15,921 runs, and Ponting, who scored 13,378. With the innings still underway, Root is well poised to surpass Ponting by the end of the day.
Joe Root shined with a century at Lord’s
In the third Test of the series at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, Joe Root delivered a brilliant century. So far in the series, he has amassed one century and two half-centuries, maintaining his position as the number one ranked Test batter in the ICC rankings.
In the Manchester Test, India posted 358 all out in their first innings, with key contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (58), Sai Sudharsan (61), and Rishabh Pant (54). For England, captain Ben Stokes took an impressive five-wicket haul.
England got off to a strong start in their innings, with openers Zak Crawley (84) and Ben Duckett (94) putting together a solid 166-run partnership. By the end of the first session on day three, England had reached over 300 runs for the loss of just two wickets. England had won the toss and elected to bowl first in the match.
| Rank | Player | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | 15,921 |
| 2 | Ricky Ponting | 13,378 |
| 3 | Joe Root | 13,322* |
| 4 | Jacques Kallis | 13,289 |
| 5 | Rahul Dravid | 13,288 |
