Watch: Joe Root hugs father after record-breaking century against Sri Lanka at Lord's

Veteran England batter Joe Root put in an exceptional performance in the second innings of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka. After a brilliant knock of 143 runs in the first innings, Root followed it up by scoring 103 runs in 121 deliveries in the second, helping England post a total of 251 runs in the second innings. 

The century helped Root shatter another record as he surpassed the previous England record of 33 Test centuries, which was held by Alastair Cook, by one more. Root achieved the milestone in his 145th Test, where Cook took 161 matches to achieve the feat. 

After smashing the record, Root was greeted with a heartfelt hug from his father, who was in the stands. The picture of the same has been going viral all over social media. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), England Cricket shared the picture of Root hugging his father. During the hug, the entire stadium was seen giving a standing ovation to the father-son duo.

“A proud father. Joe Root embraces his Dad after walking off at Lord's as England's top century-maker,” England Cricket tweeted. 

Also Read: ‘No better feeling’ - Joe Root after surpassing Alastair Cook’s century record

It is worth noting that Root’s century saw him become the player with the most centuries at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, a record which he previously shared with Graham Gooch and Michael Vaughan. Furthermore, he also became the batter who has scored a century in both innings at the Lord’s Cricket Ground joining the likes of George Headley, Gooch, and Vaughan.

The star batter’s performance saw England notch up a commanding lead in the second innings and post a target of 483 runs for Sri Lanka to chase down. Day 3 of the game ended with Sri Lanka having lost two wickets on the score of 53 runs. With the chances of victory looking bleak, the visitors will hope for exceptional performances from their batters if they are looking to register a win.