Pope, Root take England to 332 for 2 at lunch on Day 2

Root climbs to third spot on all-time list of Test run-scorers, going past Dravid and Jacques Kallis

- Agencies

Joe Root climbed to third on the all-time list of Test run-scorers on Friday as England tightened their grip on the fourth match of the series against India.

The home team, 2-1 up in the five-Test series, were 332-2 at lunch on the third day at Old Trafford, just 26 runs behind India’s first-innings total of 358.

Ollie Pope was 70 not out and Root unbeaten on 63.

Root, appearing in his 157th Test, moved past India’s Rahul Dravid and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis on the all-time run-scorers list in the course of his innings.

Only Australia’s Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs) and India’s Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) are now ahead of the 34-year-old Englishman and are both retired.

England resumed on 225/2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on Il.

India’s pacemen had too often been wayward on Thursday and Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, saw his first ball Friday drift down the legside to be clipped away for four by Root in elegant fashion.