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A young fan couldn’t believe his luck after Joe Root gifted his batting gloves to him after scoring his 19th ODI ton.
Joe Root gifts a young fan his gloves.
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England batter Joe Root surprised a young fan by gifting him his batting gloves while walking up the dressing room stairs during the third ODI against South Africa at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. The fan came across the seating area with a phone and tried to capture Root in the front camera, but the Englishman handed him his gloves instead, bringing a huge smile on his face, which lasted for at least as long as the camera was on him.
The young boy’s initial reaction was jaw-dropping. He could hardly believe it as the other audience members clapped around him. More endearingly, a man sitting beside the young boy, likely his father or a family member, tried to get a feel of the gloves, but the youngster refused, hugging the gloves tightly instead.
The wholesome video is going viral on social media. Watch it here:
The on-air commentators were all praise for the former skipper. And these were not just any gloves either; Root blasted a 96-ball century with them, hitting only six boundaries but putting in an exhibition of ODI tempo led by supreme running between the wickets.
It was his 19th ODI ton and helped England post a mammoth 414-5 on board in the first innings.
Jacob Bethell also struck his maiden professional century with a sparkling 110. The 21-year-old, who recently admitted he lacked match time over the summer, produced an electric knock with 13 fours and three sixes, eclipsing his previous best of 96.
Dropped early, Bethell made the most of his chance, adding 182 runs with Joe Root. Hugging Root after reaching the milestone, he showcased why England rate him so highly, with a 76-ball hundred – their third-fastest against South Africa. Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 62 off 32 balls capped off England’s dominant batting display.
At the time of writing this piece, South Africa had been reduced to 6/3 in the first four overs of the innings with Jofra Archer (two wickets in two maiden overs) and Brydon Carse (one wicket for six runs) sharing the exploits.
September 07, 2025, 20:41 IST
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