For Root, this hundred was special, as he had played 16 Tests in Australia but never scored a century. His previous best score was 89. This innings ended a long wait and reminded everyone why Joe Root is considered one of the best Test batsmen of this generation.

This century, Joe Root became the 40th Test player to reach 40 Test hundreds, putting him among the top players in the history of the game.

Comparison with Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is still far ahead in Test records. He has 51 Test centuries and 15,921 runs, the most by any player. Root, with around 13,600+ runs and 40 centuries, is slowly moving closer, but Sachin’s records are still very tough to break. Sachin also played 200 Tests, while Root has played about 160 so far.

Still, Root’s consistency in the last few years shows that he might come close to Sachin’s run tally if he continues playing at this level for a few more years.

Ireland got out on duck by Hasan Mahmud. Stirling and Cade Carmichael showed some intent.

Stirling scored 60 runs, and Cade scored 59 runs. Harry Tector got out on 1 run. Curtis scored 44 runs, and wicket-keeper batsman Lorcan Tucker scored 41 runs. In the end, Jordan and Barry contributed in the end. Ireland posted a 286 score in the first innings. Miraz took 3 wickets, Hasan, Islam, and Hasan Murad took 2 wickets each. Nahid Rana picked up 1 wicket.

Bangladesh dominated the game from the start. Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored 171 runs, and his opening partner Shadman Islam scored 80 runs. Mominul scored 82 runs. Captain Shanto scored a century. Litton Das scored 60 runs. Every batter contributed to the score. Bangladesh declared the innings on 587 runs.

It is a difficult task for Ireland to break the lead and set a target. Stirling once again scored some runs and got run out on 43 runs. Andy McBrine scored a fifty. Balbirnie came down the order in the second innings and scored 38 runs. Jordan and Barry once again contributed in the end, but that is not enough to even break the lead, and Bangladesh won by innings and 47 runs.

SA   – 404-10, 73-2

Player of the Match – Keshav Maharaj 

South Africa vs Pakistan from October 20 to 24, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. It was a spin-friendly track, so batting first was a good option. South Africa got an early wicket of Imam-ul-Haq. Abdullah Shafique and Captain Shan Masood stabilised the innings. Shafique scored 57 runs, and Shan scored 87 runs. Babar Azam got out early on Maharaj’s ball.

Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha scored 66 runs and 45 runs to reach a comfortable score. Keshav Maharaj took 7 wickets, Harmer took 2 wickets, and Rabada picked 1 wicket. 

Markram and Rickelton opened for South Africa. Rickelton got out early on Shaheen’s ball. Markram scored 32 runs, Stubbs scored 76, and Tony de Zorzi scored 55. Asif Afridi took quick wickets, and Shan Masood made a bad decision to take a new ball. The top-order player struggled against Asif, but after the new ball, it was easy for Senuran Muthusamy and Rabada to score runs. Muthusamy scored 89 not out, and Rabada scored 71 runs. The 98 runs last wicket partnership gave a lead of 71 runs.

Pakistan’s start was terrible for the second innings. They lost 3 wickets on just 16 runs. Babar Azam scored 50 runs, Salman Agha scored 28 runs, and Rizwan scored 18 runs. Harmer took 6 wickets, Maharaj took 2 wickets, and Rabada picked 1 wicket.

It was an easy target for South Africa in the 4th innings. They need 68 runs; Rickelton scored 25 not out, and Markram scored 42 runs. Noman Ali took 2 wickets, but they were not effective as the match was about to finish.

WI: 248 & 390 f

Player of the Match: Kuldeep Yadav

Player of the Series: Ravindra Jadeja

India vs West Indies 2nd Test held at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi between 10–14 Oct. West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl first.

India declared their first innings on 518-5 with the help of Yashasvi Jaiswal (175), KL Rahul (38), Sai Sudharsan (87), and captain Shubman Gill, who remained unbeaten on 129. Nitish and Dhruv added 43 and 44 runs, respectively.

In reply, the West Indies were bowled out for 248. India enforced the follow-on. Kuldeep Yadav took 5 wickets, Jadeja took 3, and Bumrah and Siraj picked 1 each.

In the second innings, the West Indies gave a good fightback. John Campbell and Shai Hope scored centuries. Captain Roston Chase made 40, Justin Greaves added 50, and Jayden Seales contributed 32 runs. West Indies posted 390. Kuldeep and Bumrah took 3 wickets each, Siraj 2, and Ravindra and Washington 1 each.

India needed 121 runs to win in the final innings. West Indies tried to defend but fell short. India chased down the score comfortably with the help of KL Rahul’s unbeaten 58 and Sai Sudharsan’s 39.