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Joe Root Goes Past Cook, Equals Sunil Gavaskar And Brian Lara For Most Test Hundreds

Root scored his 34th Test hundred during 2nd Test vs SL [X]Root scored his 34th Test hundred during 2nd Test vs SL [X]

England's legendary batter Joe Root sustained his purple patch as he slammed his 34th Test hundred on day 3 of the ongoing encounter against Sri Lanka at Lord's Cricket Ground. The talismanic cricketer thus went past his former teammate and ex-English skipper, Sir Alastair Cook, to register the most hundreds for England in Test cricket. 

Cook, one of the finest-ever Test openers, finished his career with 33 tons in the purest format of the game. Known for his grit and resilience at the top order, the southpaw was instrumental in shaping the Three Lions' performance in Test cricket. 

However, Root overtook his tally of Test hundreds after he completed his 34th century against the Lankans at Lord's. In this process, he also equalled batting stalwarts Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Younis Khan, and Mahela Jayawardene. 

This was Root's seventh hundred at the Mecca of cricket, as he also surpassed Graham Gooch to record the most tons at the venue. 

Most hundreds for England in Test cricket

Player's name
No. of hundreds
Joe Root34
Alastair Cook
33
Kevin Pietersen23
Ian Bell22
Geoffrey Boycott22

England set a mammoth target for Sri Lanka in 2nd Test

Riding on Root's sublime century, England posted 251 runs in their second innings. Thus, the hosts set a whopping target of 483 runs for Sri Lanka to win this fixture. 

Considering the nature of the pitch, it would be a mountain to climb for the visitors, who conceded a 0-1 lead to the Englishmen following a disastrous defeat in the first Test at Old Trafford.