Root passes Ponting as England dominate India

Fourth Rothesay Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day three of five)

India 358: Sudharsan 61, Jaiswal 58, Pant 54; Stokes 5-72, Archer 3-73

England 544-7: Root 150, Duckett 94, Crawley 84; Sundar 2-57

England lead by 186 runs

Scorecard

Joe Root's masterful 150 took him up to second on the all-time Test run-scorers' list and gave England complete control over India after day three of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

By reaching 31, Root overtook India great Rahul Dravid and legendary South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis, and in continuing beyond 120, he went past former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

His century was his 38th in Tests and it ground down a poor and beleaguered India as England reached 544-7 at the close, leading by 186.

After escaping a run-out chance on 22, Root's latest triumph was chanceless.

He put on 144 with Ollie Pope and after Pope fell for 71 and Harry Brook for three - both to Washington Sundar in quick succession - Root shared a stand of 142 with Ben Stokes.

Their partnership was broken when Stokes retired hurt on 66 with cramp in the evening session and Root was struggling with a similar issue when he was finally stumped off Ravindra Jadeja shortly after.

Having both spent time off the field with injury, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes respectively after which Stokes returned.

He ended the day 77 not out alongside Liam Dawson who is unbeaten on 21.

The hosts now have two days to complete the victory that would give them an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

Brilliant Root puts England on course

That this series has been so epic has been because whenever either side has been on top, the other has found a way to strike back. This was the day that finally ended.

Another Root epic ensured England had a near-perfect day, giving them hope of batting once and completing an innings victory.

When Root resumed on 11, England were still 133 behind in a strong but by no means secure position. When Brook fell they were still nine in arrears.

Root benefited from India captain Shubman Gill's curious delay in introducing Sundar and the injury to Bumrah. India's premier quick twisted his ankle walking down the stairs from the dressing room and was only able to bowl one over with the second new ball.

None of that should take away from Root's brilliance, however.

The Lancashire crowd stridently cheered each of the Yorkshireman's three milestones, with Ponting commentating for television when his haul was passed.

Though some rain is forecast over the weekend, the turn for Jadeja for the delivery that dismissed Root, plus significant low bounce from one end, should give England plenty of assistance when their attentions turn to dismissing India.

How Root took down the legends

Root is now 2,512 runs away from replacing India legend Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket's highest run-scorer. At his current rate of scoring, he will get there in 25 Tests.

This innings was the 34-year-old's career rolled into one.

He accumulated with nudges, drove through the covers and played exquisite reverse sweeps against India's spin.

Having batted through the morning session with Root, Pope nicked Sundar to slip in the off-spinner's second over after lunch. Sundar found significant drift away from the right-handers – it also did for Brook who was beaten on the outside edge and stumped – but Root remained unflustered throughout that crucial spell.

It took him three overs to move from 98 to 100 but when he reached three figures he did so with a flick to fine leg. He passed Ponting with a trademark dab through point.

Stokes, batting as well as he has for a significant period, took time to get going against Washington and was just breaking free – he hit one extraordinary switch hit for four off Jadeja - when he started to become hampered by cramp.

After he retired hurt, Smith nicked Bumrah behind and Chris Woakes was bowled by one that kept horribly low from Siraj.

Returning to further cheers after an hour in dressing room, Stokes will be eyeing a first Test hundred since the Lord's Ashes Test of July 2023.

Injury-hit India tire in the dirt

This was India's most difficult day on tour.

When a rare Root error in the morning resulted in a mix-up with Pope, Jadeja's throw to the non-striker's end from backward point missed and he held his arms out questioning why no fielder had made it to the stumps.

Pope was also dropped on 48. That was a tough chance off an under-edge for Rishabh Pant's replacement as wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who was standing up to debutant Anshul Kamboj, but it summed up the day.

Kamboj has looked a poor pick – his medium pace is proving ineffective and his fielding laboured – while captain Gill made his most obvious tactical error in his four Tests as skipper to date.

The failure to introduce Sundar before 69th over, despite him dismissing Root at Lord's in the third Test, was inexplicable.

This is the longest England have batted under Stokes in the UK and it showed.

Having hobbled back into the field before tea, Bumrah returned to the attack afterwards but his pace was well down. Siraj also kept going, despite pulling up with an ankle issue earlier, but was also understandably tired.

It would take something miraculous for India to avoid defeat in Manchester and with three days off after this, there is little time for recovery before the fifth Test either.

'England's approach will benefit bowlers' - what they said

Ex-England captain Sir Alastair Cook: "The people who will benefit the most from this way of batting is the bowlers because they have had their feet up all day and tomorrow when the bowlers come out to the middle, they can hit the deck hard and get the most out of it."

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan: "All the headlines, rightfully, will be about Joe Root, but today was another lesson in showing how Bazball is maturing - especially at the start of play when England knew they had to win that first hour.

"England milked it all day and today was the day where it came to fruition how England are a different side, and to win the biggest series' you can't play one way."