Root Achieves Historic Milestone, Surpasses Abbas and Khan

LONDON: Joe Root has etched his name in Test cricket history by becoming the first batsman to amass 500 or more runs in a Test series against India on three separate occasions, outshining Pakistani legends Zaheer Abbas and Younis Khan.

This remarkable feat was accomplished during the concluding Test of the 2025 series at The Oval, where Root played a superb innings of 105 from 152 deliveries in the second innings.

His innings elevated his series total to 537 runs at an impressive average of 67.12, featuring three centuries and a highest score of 150.

Previously, Zaheer had accumulated 650 runs in the 1982-83 series and 583 in the 1978-79 series, while Younis recorded 553 runs in 2005-06 and 508 in 2004-05, both achieving this milestone twice against India.

Root had already piled up 737 runs in the 2021-22 home series, which included four centuries at an astonishing average of 105.28. During the 2014 series, also hosted in England, he gathered 518 runs across five Tests.

His most recent achievement marks the fourth instance of him scoring over 500 runs in a Test series, a distinction he now shares with English icons Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs, and Ken Barrington.

In doing so, Root has also overtaken celebrated figures such as Everton Weekes, Garry Sobers, Ricky Ponting, and Indian stars Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli, all of whom have surpassed the 500-run mark twice in Test series against their respective opponents.

Root debuted in Test cricket against India in Nagpur in December 2012, and since then, has been a pivotal figure in England’s batting lineup, particularly when playing against India.