Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja playfully teased Joe Root as the England batter neared his century on Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s on Thursday (July 10). When Root reached 99, Jadeja was spotted making a hand gesture, encouraging the Yorkshireman to go for the single needed to complete his hundred, gently rolling the ball on the ground.
The light-hearted moment unfolded during the final over of the day, bowled by Akash Deep. Root started the over on 96 and moved to 98 with a couple off the second delivery. On the fourth ball, he nudged the ball towards point and ran a single to move to 99.
It was then that Jadeja humorously goaded him to go for one more run, prompting a smile from Root as he stood at the non-striker’s end. You can watch the video here:
Rule #1: Never risk it with @imjadeja 😶
Rule #2: If you forget Rule #1 👀#ENGvIND 👉 3rd TEST Day 2 FRI, JULY 11, 2:30 PM streaming on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/6chobVFsBL— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 10, 2025
Ben Stokes safely defended the last two balls of the over, leaving former England skipper Joe Root unbeaten on 99. Root will now have to wait until Day 2 to reach his century.
Joe Root And Ollie Pope Steady England With Century Stand On Day 1
Joe Root anchored England’s innings with an unbeaten 191-ball knock on a grinding day of Test cricket, after skipper Ben Stokes chose to bat first. The openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, put together a steady 43-run stand before both were dismissed in quick succession by Nitish Kumar Reddy in a single over.
Root then combined with Ollie Pope to navigate testing conditions, opting for patience over aggression on a challenging pitch. Their resilient 109-run partnership was broken immediately after tea, when Ravindra Jadeja removed Pope for 44 with the first delivery of the session.
Stokes, who came in during the 50th over, played a gritty innings of 39 from 102 balls while also dealing with a physical niggle. England closed the day at 251 for 4. For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy stood out with the ball, returning figures of 2 for 46 in his 14 overs.
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