Joe Root rewrites ODI record against India with another unbeaten inning at Lord’s. cricket news
Joe Root has continued his excellent Test form in the ODI series and produced another masterclass against India. The mainstay of England’s batting remained unbeaten in all three innings of the July 2026 ODI series, scoring 249 runs without being out, becoming the first England batsman to score six consecutive ODI half-centuries.Root’s remarkable consistency made him the batsman with the most runs without losing his wicket in a bilateral ODI series, surpassing Jos Buttler’s 248* against Netherlands in 2022 and Ricky Ponting’s 241* against New Zealand in 2007.
Most runs without being out in a bilateral ODI series
- 249 – Joe Root vs India, 2026 (76*, 99*, 74*)
- 248 – Jos Buttler vs Netherlands, 2022 (162*, 86*)
- 241 – Ricky Ponting vs New Zealand, 2007 (107*, 134*)
Root’s unbeaten performance throughout the series:
| match | date | it goes | balls | strike rate | venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | 14 July 2026 | 76* | 76 | 100.00 | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| 2nd ODI | 16 July 2026 | 99* | 133 | 74.44 | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff |
| 3rd ODI | 19 July 2026 | 74* | 48 | 154.17 | Lord’s, London |
1st ODI: Stepped forward during a top-order collapse and rescued England from 107/6 and took the hosts to a competitive 258.2nd ODI: Slipping to 125/5, England’s successful chase of 234 began when Gus Atkinson scored the winning run, just short of a century. 3rd ODI: Changing gears brilliantly in the death overs, he stitched an 82-run partnership with Jos Buttler in the final five overs to take England to 387/3, a new highest ODI score at Lord’s, breaking a 51-year-old record.
Playing XI for India vs England at Lord’s
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethel, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tong.