On Day 4 of the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, Joe Root celebrated his 39th Test tonne and paid tribute to the late Graham Thorpe. After attaining the milestone, he pulled out a headband and wore it while pointing up to the sky.
In the 69th over of England’s second innings, as the hosts tried to chase 374 for the victory, Joe Root reached his tonne by flicking a length ball to deep-backward square leg for a couple.
During the early stages of his career, the former English legend served as Root’s hitting coach and mentor. As they spent time together, the two developed a strong bond. Thorpe was a notable supporter of Root’s inclusion in the national setup.
The headband straight on ❤️
“England’s present No. 4 will never forget England’s previous No. 4, that meant so much to him.”
🤝 @IGcom pic.twitter.com/MnPzz4vQmQ
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 3, 2025
Joe Root moved up to second place on the list of all-time run scorers in Test cricket history earlier in the series, surpassing Ricky Ponting.
He achieved another noteworthy accomplishment with this 39th century, surpassing Kumar Sangakkara’s 38th century.
While batting together, Joe Root and Harry Brook (111 off 98) built a 195-run partnership for the fourth wicket, pulling England out of trouble and into a commanding position. To hold India at away, the two of them worked in perfect harmony.
England leads 2-1 and the series is at stake. If India loses at The Oval, they will have lost their second straight Test series by a score of 3-1. They lost by that score in the 2024–2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under.
Most Test match hundreds
India’s Sachin Tendulkar scored 51 hundreds in 329 innings.
South Africa’s Jacques Kallis scored 45 hundreds in 280 innings.
Australia’s Ricky Ponting scored 41 hundreds in 287 innings.
England’s Joe Root scored 39 hundreds in 288 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara scored 38 hundreds in 233 innings.
India
