Chickpea is one of the most important food legumes widely cultivated in semiarid regions. Root system architecture plays a crucial role in plant adaptation by determining soil moisture and nutrient uptake. Therefore, understanding the morphological and anatomical plasticity of root traits in chickpea is important for improving water-use efficiency and stabilising yield under water-scarce conditions. This review synthesizes literature-based findings on root-trait adaptations that contribute to drought tolerance in chickpea. The research methodology involved reviewing scientific articles from the Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases that were published in the last 10 years. The data, which are essential for root characteristics, root dimensions and depth, lateral root density, root-to-shoot ratio, and xylem structure, are extracted and integrated to identify drought tolerance mechanisms and physiological responses in chickpea. Multiple studies published in the last decade show that chickpea plants with deeper and more extensive root systems exhibit greater drought resistance and maintain higher yield (Chen et al., 2017; Ye et al., 2018). Plants with more roots per unit of shoot tissue, thicker roots, and longer root systems are better at reaching underground water sources. The plant's ability to maintain shoot turgor under dry soil conditions improves through anatomical changes, including larger metaxylem vessels, thicker cortical tissues, and wider vascular areas. Genetic research has identified specific quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that indicate that root structure affects drought tolerance and biomass production. Root architectural plasticity, particularly increased rooting depth and improved hydraulic anatomy, emerges as a fundamental adaptive mechanism for drought resilience in chickpea. Modern breeding programs can develop new cultivars by assessing root traits to enhance water management and increase yields. Future research should emphasize high-throughput root phenotyping and genomic integration to uncover molecular determinants of root function under stress.