Joe Root Matches Rahul Dravid’s Catch Record; Younis Khan Lone Pakistani in Top 15

England’s seasoned player, Joe Root, achieved a remarkable feat on Monday by equaling Rahul Dravid’s record for the most catches taken by a fielder in Test matches.

The 34-year-old reached this milestone during the first Test between England and India by catching Shardul Thakur off Josh Tongue’s delivery.

This catch at first slip allowed him to tie with Dravid, who has held the top spot with 210 catches since 2012.

Root accomplished this in 154 matches, which is 10 fewer than Dravid’s total.

Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka holds the third position with 205 catches in 149 matches, while Steve Smith of Australia and Jacques Kallis of South Africa are tied for fourth with 200 catches each.

Former Pakistani captain Younis Khan is the only Pakistani player to be included in the Top 15, having taken 139 catches in 118 matches.

Most Catches in Test Cricket
  • Joe Root (England): 210
  • Rahul Dravid (India): 210
  • Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka): 205
  • Steve Smith (Australia): 200
  • Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 200
  • Younis Khan (Pakistan): 139

In addition to this record, Joe Root is also close to achieving several other milestones in the ongoing series against India.

Root, who recently crossed the 13,000-run mark during England’s Test match against Zimbabwe, is nearing the point of surpassing Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid on the list of all-time Test run-scorers.

With 13,006 runs in 153 matches, averaging 50.80 with 36 centuries and 65 half-centuries, Root requires 282 runs to pass Dravid, 283 to overtake Kallis, and 373 to move ahead of Ponting on the list. Sachin Tendulkar leads with 15,921 runs.