Joe Root is a completely different proposition when India are the opposition. He holds the record for most Test centuries against India (13) and has amassed 3,383 Test runs at 59.35 in the format. In ODIs, his tally crosses 1,000 runs at an average of 51.
Root made his international debut against India in December 2012, scoring 73 on a turning Nagpur pitch to clinch a historic series win. His unbeaten 99 at Cardiff on 17 July 2026 was his latest match-winning effort, guiding England to a series-levelling ODI victory.
Joe Root Stats vs India
Root’s numbers across formats paint a picture of sustained dominance. The 2025 Test series saw him add 537 runs with three centuries in five matches. That purple patch pushed his Test average vs India beyond 59.
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | SR | HS | 100s/50s | 200s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 35 | 64 | 3,383 | 59.35 | 55.32 | 218 | 13/12 | 1 |
| ODIs | 28 | 26 | 1,100 | 51.30 | 83.68 | 113* | 3/7 | 0 |
| T20Is* | 7 | 5 | 57 | 14.25 | 101.78 | 34 | 0/0 | 0 |
Root has not been part of England’s T20I setup since 2019. His T20I appearances vs India were limited to early career matches between 2012 and 2018.
Source: ESPNcricinfo (Stats updated as of 17 July 2026)
Joe Root Centuries Against India
Root holds the record for the most Test centuries by any batter against India, with 13 hundreds in the format. He also has three ODI centuries against them. His most recent ODI effort, the unbeaten 99 at Sophia Gardens on 17 July 2026, fell agonisingly one run short of a fourth.
Test Centuries
| No. | Score | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 154* | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | July 2014 |
| 2 | 149 | The Oval, London | August 2014 |
| 3 | 124 | SCA Stadium, Rajkot | November 2016 |
| 4 | 125 | The Oval, London | September 2018 |
| 5 | 218 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | February 2021 |
| 6 | 109 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | August 2021 |
| 7 | 180 | Lord’s, London | August 2021 |
| 8 | 121 | Headingley, Leeds | August 2021 |
| 9 | 142 | Edgbaston, Birmingham | July 2022 |
| 10 | 122 | JSCA Stadium, Ranchi | February 2024 |
| 11 | 104 | Lord’s, London | July 2025 |
| 12 | 150 | Old Trafford, Manchester | July 2025 |
| 13 | 105 | The Oval, London | August 2025 |
ODI Centuries
| No. | Score | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 113 | Headingley, Leeds | September 2014 |
| 2 | 113* | Lord’s, London | July 2018 |
| 3 | 100* | Headingley, Leeds | July 2018 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz
Check Out the List of All Joe Root Centuries Here!!!
Joe Root Memorable Innings Against India
Root has produced match-defining knocks against India throughout his career. Below are five of his finest performances against them.
- 218 (377 balls), 1st Test, Chennai, February 2021. Root became the first cricketer to score a double century in his 100th Test match. England had arrived in India as underdogs, but Root batted for more than eight hours across the first two days to take complete control. He struck 19 fours and two sixes, anchoring a total of 578 that set up a dominant 227-run victory. The knock reaffirmed his status as the best player of spin in the world at that time. It was the first Test hundred by an England captain in India since Alastair Cook in 2012.
- 180 (321 balls), 2nd Test, Lord’s, August 2021. With India having won the first Test at Trent Bridge, pressure was firmly on England at the Home of Cricket. Root responded with a masterclass, batting through the majority of the innings to post 391 all out from a precarious position. He reached his 150 with a trademark sweep and controlled the Indian bowling attack across all three sessions. The knock set up a thrilling draw-turned-England-victory by an innings and 76 runs, squaring the five-match series at 1-1.
- 154 (233 balls), 3rd Test, Trent Bridge, July 2014.* This was Root’s breakthrough innings against India. Facing a touring attack led by Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he arrived with England needing a strong platform. He remained unbeaten through the innings, carrying his bat in a display of technique and temperament that yielded 16 fours. England set up a total of 496 and won by 266 runs. It was the first of what would become a habit of piling on runs against India at home.
- 73 (229 balls), 4th Test, Nagpur, December 2012. Root’s very first Test innings came with enormous pressure. England needed a draw to win the series 2-1 and claim their first Test series victory in India since 1984-85. Batting at number six, the 21-year-old debutant walked in at 119-4. He showed remarkable composure against Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin on a turning surface, adding 101 for the fifth wicket with Kevin Pietersen. The draw was secured, and Root announced himself on the international stage in the most challenging conditions possible.
- 105 (178 balls), 5th Test, The Oval, August 2025. Root saved perhaps his most important innings of the summer for the series decider. India set England a target of 374, and a fourth-innings chase of that scale is rarely achieved in Test cricket. Root came together with Harry Brook and built a partnership of 195 runs that shifted the match entirely in England’s favour. He completed his third century of the series and finished with 537 runs at an average of 67.12 across five Tests. No batter had previously crossed 500 runs in three separate Test series against India.
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz, BBC Sport
