Joe Root could leapfrog two places on the all-time Test run scorers list on Day Two of the England v India Test at Lord's. Here's what he needs to overtake both Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis.
Root ended day one of the third Test of the series unbeaten on 99*, having taken a single off the fourth ball of the last over of the day. He will be the strike batter for the first ball of the morning session today (July 11).
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As of the end of play on day one, Root is in fifth place on the all-time Test run scorer list with 13,214 runs over the course of his career. He overtook former England record-holder, Alastair Cook, during England's series in Pakistan last year, and since then has opened up a gap of almost 800 runs to his former Test captain.
However, Root could feasibly move another two places up on the list over the course of the ongoing Test, or even the course of his first innings. The England No.4 is currently 74 runs behind fourth-placed batter Rahul Dravid, who himself is only one run short of third-placed Jacques Kallis. The South Africa all-rounder played his last Test match 11 months after Dravid retired from the format, and moved into third place on the list with a century in his final innings which just edged him up on the list.
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Thus, with the two batters so close together, Root needs 76 more runs to move up from fifth and past both of them, into the medal positions on the all-time Test top run-scorer list.
That would also take Root to within touching distance of Ricky Ponting in second place. Ponting finished his career with 13,378 runs, 89 more than Kallis. Therefore, once Root is past Kallis he will have second place firmly within his sights, with the potential to move into that position in his next few innings. There is more of a gap to make up for him to reach the top spot however, with Sachin Tendulkar firmly in possession. Root will have to score another 2,534 runs after equalling Ponting's total to reel him in.
Most Test runs, full list: What does Root need to move into third place?
| Player | Team | Span | Matches | Runs | High Score | Average | 100s |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2013 | 200 | 15,912 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 168 | 13,378 | 257 | 58.72 | 41 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1995-2013 | 166 | 13,289 | 224 | 45.97 | 45 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 1996-2012 | 164 | 13,288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 |
| Joe Root | England | 2012-2025 | 156* | 13,214 | 262 | 51.01 | 36 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 2006-2018 | 161 | 12,472 | 294 | 45.35 | 33 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2015 | 134 | 12,400 | 319 | 54.19 | 38 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 1990-2006 | 131 | 11,953 | 400* | 52.88 | 34 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 1994-2015 | 164 | 11,867 | 203* | 51.37 | 30 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 1997-2014 | 149 | 11,814 | 374 | 51.45 | 34 |
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