England’s Joe Root has shared his thoughts on potentially surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most Test runs. Root, currently in strong form during the England vs. West Indies Test series, recently scored a remarkable century in the second innings of the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. This performance elevated him to eighth place on the all-time Test run-scorers list, moving past West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
With all the players ranked above him having retired, Root is well-positioned to advance further up the list. As the leading run-scorer in the longest format of modern cricket, Root is significantly ahead of his closest rival, Steve Smith.
Joe Root breaks silence on breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record
During a chat with Sky Sports, Joe Root was asked about his journey in Test cricket and his feelings to be on the list of all-time greats.
“Yes, I mean when I walked out at Nagpur, I had never thought (of this achievement). I was just happy to play one game. So to be even spoken about in the same breath of all those amazing players, you have to pinch yourself a little bit really and almost waiting to wake up. So, I am very humble but yeah, it’s nice,” Root said.
The host of the show was former England fast bowler and Root’s old friend Stuart Broad. Broad asked Root whether he could surpass the No. 1 on the list Sachin Tendulkar. The England’s No. 4 responded that he needs to keep working out and concentrate on the present and not think too far ahead.
“Who knows? I’m probably going to go for a lean patch after doing all this and talking about it (jokes). To be honest, you just never know what is going to happen in the next couple of games. We have to just keep working out. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where you get to really,” Root added.
Joe Root stands as one of cricket’s most accomplished batters. To date, he has amassed 11,940 runs from 142 Tests, maintaining an average of 49.95. His impressive career includes 32 centuries and 62 fifties.
Root is also the leading run-scorer among English cricketers across all formats. In 345 international matches, he has accumulated 19,355 runs at an average of 48.26. The next highest English run-scorer, Alastair Cook, trails Root by nearly 4,000 runs.
