The 34-year-old Yorkshireman passed Dravid’s total of 13,288 runs after reaching 30 on the third morning in Manchester. Two deliveries later, he edged past Kallis’ tally of 13,289 to become the third-highest scorer in Test history, behind only Australia’s Ricky Ponting and India’s Sachin Tendulkar.
Root, who is already England’s leading run-scorer in Test and one-day international cricket, now sits on 13,259 career Test runs from 156 matches. His Test average currently stands at 50.80, with 37 centuries and 66 fifties.
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While Ponting’s total of 13,378 runs is within reach – Root would need to score 120 in this innings to overtake the Australian – Tendulkar’s long-standing world record of 15,921 remains a distant target.
Root eclipsed Sir Alastair Cook’s England Test record of 12,472 runs in December 2024 during the tour of Pakistan. He also became England’s all-time top scorer in one-day internationals last month, overtaking former captain Eoin Morgan.
His ascent to third place further cements his status as one of the most consistent batters of the modern era, and one of the finest ever to don the Three Lions in Test cricket.
The updated top five Test run-scorers now stand as follows:
Sachin Tendulkar (15,921)
Ricky Ponting (13,378)
Joe Root (13,322 and counting)
Jacques Kallis (13,289)
Rahul Dravid (13,288)
Root made his Test debut in 2012 and has been a cornerstone of England’s batting order ever since, captaining the side from 2017 to 2022.