During the fourth Test match between India and England at Old Trafford in Manchester, an unusual incident occurred on the field involving England's Joe Root and India's Mohammed Siraj. The incident took place on Day 3 of the Test during England's first innings.
In the 52nd over, Root attempted a single after the ball struck his pads off Siraj's delivery. As Root went for the run, he collided with Siraj, and his bat accidentally struck the fitness band worn by the Indian fast bowler, resulting in the band breaking. Siraj was in the middle of appealing for an LBW when the collision occurred. He was seen looking at the umpire when Root came from behind.
The moment was caught on video and shared by England Cricket's social media account. The video showed Siraj fixing his now-broken fitness band.
Despite the unusual nature of the incident, it did not affect the play. However, it grabbed the attention of both the players and fans. While the moment was light-hearted, it added to the drama of the Test match.
On the day of the incident, Root also achieved a personal milestone, becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, surpassing Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting. He is now only behind Sachin Tendulkar in the list of batsmen with the most runs in Test cricket. Root scored a century in the first innings of the Manchester Test. His innings of 150 runs off 248 balls included 14 fours.
The incident occurred with India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series. England had secured victories at Headingley and Lord's, while India won at Edgbaston.
