Joe Root is arguably England’s greatest batter of all time, and the 34-year-old cricketer from Yorkshire on Thursday (July 10), during his 284th Test innings as an England batter, closed the gap with legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the list of batters with the most half-centuries in the five-day format of the game. During his 24-year-long Test career for India, Tendulkar played 200 Tests and scored 51 centuries and 68 half-centuries. On the other hand, after crossing the 50-run mark in the second session of the first day’s play of the third India-England Test at Lord’s, Root has taken his tally of fifties in Tests to 67. He leapfrogged former West Indies batter and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul. During his 164-match Test career, Chanderpaul scored 66 half-centuries. Root, who scored an unbeaten half-century (53*) for England in the second innings of the first Test against India in Leeds, crossed the 50-run mark on Thursday in the 46th over. He hammered Nitish Kumar Reddy for a four on the second ball to achieve the milestone. Most half-centuries in Tests HALF CENTURIES Sachin Tendulkar Shivnarine Chanderpaul West Indies Rahul Dravid Allan Border Ricky Ponting Root, who made his Test debut for England against India at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on December 13, 2012, has scored 13 half-centuries in Tests against India. Only Javed Miandad of Pakistan has scored more half-centuries than Root in the five-day format of the game against India. Most half-centuries against India in Tests HALF-CENTURIES Javed Miandad Ricky Ponting Clive Lloyd West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul West Indies The half-century on Thursday also helped Root equal Kallis and Ponting’s record of 103 50+ scores in Test cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar of India has crossed the 50-run mark in Test cricket more times than Root now. Most 50+ scores in Tests Sachin Tendulkar Jacques Kallis South Africa/ICC Ricky Ponting Rahul Dravid Root, after coming out to bat at No. 4 for England on Thursday added 109 runs for the third wicket with vice-captain Ollie Pope (44 from 104 balls, 4 fours). Before getting out for 60 runs, Root also completed 3000 runs in Tests against India. He is the first batter in the world to score more than 3000 runs in the longest format of the game against the Indian team. Root needed 45 runs in the Lord’s Test to complete 3000 runs against India, and he achieved the objective by hitting Nitish Kumar Reddy for a four on the third ball of the 43rd over.