Sachin Tendulkar breaks silence on Joe Root nearing his all-time Test runs milestone

Legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar recently commented on Joe Root approaching his all-time record of most runs in Test cricket. Root recently became the second-highest run scorer in Tests during the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester. The England batter has scored 13,543 runs in his career so far at an average of 51.29 with 39 centuries and 66 fifties.

Root is well on course to break Tendulkar’s record, who tops the list, having scored 15,921 runs in his Test career from 200 matches. Recently, Tendulkar was asked about Root's prolific run in Tests as he recalled his first impression of England batter back in 2012 when he made his debut against India in Nagpur. The legendary batter revealed that he was impressed with Root’s assessment of the pitch and predicted him to become England captain in future.

"To have gone past 13000 runs is a remarkable achievement, and he’s still going strong. When I saw him for the first time in Nagpur in 2012 during his debut Test, I told my teammates that they were watching the future captain of England. What impressed me most was the way he was able to assess the wicket and how he rotated the strike. I knew at that very moment that he would be a big player,” said Tendulkar during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.

Root has been in marvellous form in the post-COVID era, having scored 5720 runs from 61 matches (111 innings) at an average of 56.63 with 22 hundreds and 17 fifties. The former England skipper has drastically improved his conversion rate and is gradually moving towards becoming the leading run scorer in Test cricket. The 34-year-old has both age and form on his side to etch his name in the history books. However, his next assignment will be the toughest as he’ll travel to Australia for the Ashes, where he’s yet to score a century.