England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred on Friday to go past the tally of former India skipper Rahul Dravid and contemporary Steve Smith.
Joe Root was on 36 and digging in when Mohammed Siraj angled one in that rapped him square on the pads. The Indians went up in unison. But umpire Paul Reiffel stood his ground.
He successfully took a stunner to dismiss Karun Nair to complete his 211th catch, surpassing Dravid's tally of 210. Former Sri Lanka star Mahela Jayawardene slipped to the third spot with 205 catches.
Wearing special headbands in memory of Graham Thorpe, they honoured not just a legend of the game, but a man whose courage and struggles have sparked an urgent conversation around mental health in sport.
Pietersen's comments on his social media handle came a day after fellow England batter Joe Root overtook Australia great Ricky Ponting to climb to second place in the all-time list of Test run scorers.
A rampaging England thrashed South Africa by 342 runs in the third and final ODI in Southampton on Sunday to register the biggest victory in men's One-Day Internationals.
Since going missing from red-ball action in 2021, the 30-year-old endured a period during which injuries constantly plagued him, especially a recurring stress fracture in his right elbow.
'I'm worried. We're going to wander in and have a little game with the 'A' team. (It will be) 'Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya' and we're going to go and perform?'
Former skipper Root and Jonny Bairstow smashed unbeaten centuries against India to chase down 378 and win the tie.
Joe Root's patient unbeaten 99 led England to 251-4 on an attritional and compelling first day of the third Test against India at Lord's on Thursday.
Sachin Tendulkar was effusive in his praise for Akash Deep after India's thumping 336-run win at Edgbaston
Joe Root has stepped down as England's Test captain, the country's cricket board said on Friday, succumbing to pressure from influential figures within the game following a run of poor results capped by dispiriting tours of Australia and the Caribbean.
In every Test match Root plays, the prolific right-hander continues chasing legends and breaking records - and more milestones could be within reach during the second Test against India at Edgbaston.
All-rounder Jamie Overton, who played the only Test match of his career back in 2022, has been recalled to the 15-member England squad
England vice-captain Ollie Pope won't be surprised if Joe Root overtakes Sachin Tendulkar and becomes the all-time leading run-getter in Tests.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Friday.
'Siraj gives everything for India, and it is credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket.'
England on Wednesday announced their playing XI for the opening Test of the five-match series against India, which will kickstart at Headingley on Friday.
Rishabh Pant, who hit two centuries in the Headingley Test, now trails top-ranked batter Joe Root by just 88 points.
Billy Root claimed a chunk of family bragging rights over older brother and England Test captain Joe Root on Sunday when the pair came face to face in the County Championship.
Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel took the game away from England with their fearless approach.
Just 120 runs shy of overtaking Ricky Ponting, the veteran batter is on the brink of becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Test history-behind only the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Thursday.
Sanjay Bangar felt a wicket could fall at any moment due to the pressure applied by Indian seamers on the England batters
Root said that it is amazing being a "second fiddle" to Brook and watching his fine shotmaking from the "best seat in the house".
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
'I had specific plans coming into this Test, and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) helped me shape and refine them in the lead-up.'
'What do you want us to do?': KL's heated exchange with umpire Dharamsena during Oval Test
Joe Root was full of praise for compatriot and Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook, saying that "he makes his life so much easier"
Images from Day 4 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
Lord's venue promises to be a cracker of a contest, especially with another round in the ongoing rivalry between two modern legends - Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and England's star batter Joe Root.
He returned with figures of 4-22 in 12.1 overs to join an elite list comprising legends Vinoo Mankad, Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who have taken four wickets or more at the iconic venue.
England's Test captain Joe Root on Thursday said the "intolerable" Yorkshire racism episode has "fractured our game and torn lives apart" and pledged his support in a bid to bring about a change at his childhood club.
The over rate has been a big talking point in the series and the frequent for ball change is making matters worse. Bumrah said the hot weather should be taken into account before taking action on slow over rate.
Siraj has now taken 202 wickets in 101 international matches at an average of 29.06 and an economy of 4.11.
Shubman Gill's unbeaten 129 in Delhi wasn't just another century; it was history etched in numbers and intent.
Among the active batters, Joe Root, 34, looks the only one who could go past Sachin Tendulkar's Test record tally of 15921 runs.
After a cautious start, Crawley and Duckett punished the straying Indian bowlers with an array of crisp boundaries. The pair blunted the new ball and raced to 77 without loss at tea.
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy saw a staggering run aggregate of 7187 runs -- the second-highest in a series in Test history.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances