Steve Smith Breaks Into Test Cricket History, Surpasses Joe Root In Catches

Steve Smith takes a brilliant catch (Source: AFP Photos)When it comes to fielding, Steve Smith, with his exceptional athleticism, often hogs the limelight. Sunday was one of those days when Australia and South Africa met at Kingsmead in Durban for the first Test of the three-match series.And it was Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) winning captain, who had to take the brunt of it. Soon after, David Bedingham too had to depart, and in the process, the talismanic batter, widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batters of all time, reached greater heights.Steve Smith Moves To Top In List of Most Catches By A Fielder In TestsThe David Bedingham catch, which came off Pat Cummins, was Smith’s 221st catch in Tests. He is now the undisputed leader among fielders with the most Test catches. The record was previously held by Joe Root, who has 220 catches.Of course, Root can still go past Smith, and the Australian can do the other way around, as both of them actively play Test cricket, and rarely miss fixtures due to injury woes.ALSO READSteve Smith Surpasses Steve Waugh, Becomes Australia's Third-Highest Test Run-GetterRahul Dravid, Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis are placed behind Smith and Root on the list.Most Catches As A Fielder In Tests221 - Steve Smith (Australia)*220 - Joe Root (England)210 - Rahul Dravid (India/ICC)205 - Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)200 - Jacques Kallis (South Africa/ICC)It was Smith’s 126th Test match. He also has 90 catches in 170 ODIs and 41 catches in 67 T20Is for Australia.Who Tops Most Catches In Tests Overall?In the most-catches list, which includes wicket-keepers, South Africa’s Mark Boucher has taken the most. He had 532 catches in 147 matches.Second-placed Adam Gilchrist is far behind him, with 379 catches. However, he played far fewer matches than Boucher, with a Test match tally of 97.From India, MS Dhoni is at the top of the chart, with 256 catches in 90 matches. Dhoni also inflicted 38 stumpings in red-ball cricket.ALSO READWho Is Jharkhand Opener Shikhar Mohan, First Centurion Of Ranji Trophy 2026-27?