ENG vs SL: Joe Root scripts history, becomes 1st England batter to smash 34 Test centuries to equal Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara's records

England's batter maestro Joe Root achieved a remarkable milestone during the second Test match against Sri Lanka on August 31. Root notched his 34th Test hundred and 50th international century, becoming only the second active cricketer to reach this historic mark.

Joe Root scripts history with 34th Test century

Root's 33rd Test century came in the first innings, and he continued his impressive form in the second innings by scoring his record-breaking 34th Test hundred. This achievement surpassed Alastair Cook's all-time record for the most centuries scored by an English cricketer.

ALSO READ: PAK vs BAN 2nd Test: Shan Masood becomes fourth Pakistan captain to achieve this feat against Bangladesh

Root Joins Elite Group

Joe Root's 34th Test century places him in an elite group of batsmen. He has now equalled the record of legendary cricketers Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, and Mahela Jayawardene in terms of Test centuries. Only five cricketers have scored more Test centuries than Root.

Most Test hundreds

Sachin Tendulkar - 51 in 329 innings
Jacques Kallis - 45 in 280 innings
Ricky Ponting - 41 in 287 innings
Kumar Sangakkara - 38 in 233 innings
Rahul Dravid - 36 in 286 innings
Joe Root - 34 in 265 innings
Younis Khan - 34 in 213 innings
Sunil Gavaskar - 34 in 214 innings
Brian Lara - 34 in 232 innings
Mahela Jayawardene - 34 in 252 innings

ALSO READ: Pakistan wicketkeeper Azam Khan struck on neck by bouncer, gets out in strange fashion in CPL 2024 encounter; watch video

Root's Fastest Test Century

Joe Root's remarkable century in the second innings came in just 111 balls, making it his fastest Test century. This impressive feat helped England extend their lead in the second innings to over 480 runs.

Root's Historic Achievement at Lord's

Joe Root's seventh Test century at Lord's solidified his position as the sole record-holder for the most Test centuries at this iconic venue. Previously, he had shared the record with his English predecessors, Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan, who both achieved six centuries each at Lord's.

Root's remarkable feat of scoring hundreds in both innings of a Test at Lord's placed him in an exclusive club. He joined the West Indies' George Headley, Graham Gooch, and Michael Vaughan as the only batsmen to have accomplished this feat. Although Graham Gooch holds the record for the most runs scored by a single batsman in any Test at Lord's, with a combined tally of 456 runs against India in 1990, Root's latest century moved him into joint-sixth place on the all-time list of Test century-makers. The 33-year-old Root is the only active Test cricketer among the top six century-makers, a testament to his enduring skill and consistency.

MORE ON SPORTS TAK:

6,6,6,6,6,6: 23-yr-old India batter emulates Yuvraj Singh's feat, wreaks havoc with six sixes in an over in DPL match ahead of IPL 2025 auction, Watch Video

Novak Djokovic stunned by 28th seeded Australia's Alexei Popyrin, fails to reach US Open 4th round for 1st time in 18 years

Rahul Dravid's son Samit named in India Under-19 squads, to play against Australia next month: Check schedule and timings here