Joe Root took a trip down memory lane recently, sharing how he used to copy cricket legends when he was younger and dreamed of scoring centuries around the world. Fast forward to today, and Root is now sitting alongside those very icons in the record books. On Friday, he took a big step toward possibly overtaking Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in Test history, surpassing not one but three all-time greats in a single day.
Joe Root’s Childhood Dreams Now a Reality
Root started the fourth Test against India in Manchester with 13,259 runs. During his brilliant 150 in the first innings, he overtook Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to move just behind Sachin. Reflecting on his journey, Root spoke about where it all began and what it means to him now.
“We’d play mini Test matches, me and my brother, and anyone else that was knocking around the local club,” Root said, speaking to Sky Sports. “One day I’d try and be Ricky Ponting, the next I’d try and be Kumar Sangakkara or Brian Lara, not left-handed, but same backlift, trying to try it all out, and pretend that I was in different parts of the world scoring Test-match hundreds. Even just to be mentioned in the sentence as these guys is a bit of a pinch-yourself moment. It is pretty cool, yeah.”
In a touching twist, Ricky Ponting was actually in the commentary box when Root passed his total of 13,378 runs. The former Aussie captain was full of praise for the English star and even backed him to break Tendulkar’s record.
“Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent. Second on the table, 120 not out. This crowd at the ground, this very knowledgeable crowd here at Old Trafford, stands as one,” Ponting said on-air.
He also pointed out that, with the way Root has been playing in recent years, breaking Sachin’s record is a real possibility.
“Just the one more to go now. About 2,500 runs behind [Tendulkar], but the way that his career has gone over the last four or five years, there’s absolutely no reason why not,” he added.
Joe Root Breaks Record Against India
Joe Root is currently playing in his 157th Test match, and he’s putting on another masterclass.
During the fourth Test at Old Trafford, there was a special moment when Root reached his century. Before he could even take off his helmet, England captain Ben Stokes raised his own bat to celebrate the milestone, acknowledging the crowd’s cheers and applause. It was a touching gesture that showed the respect Root commands.
With this hundred, Root set a new record for the most Test centuries against India, this was his 12th century in 34 Tests against them. He had earlier matched Steve Smith’s record of 11 in the third Test at Lord’s, where he scored 104 from 199 balls.
This latest century was also Root’s 38th overall in Test cricket, tying him with Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara for fourth place on the all-time list of Test centurions.
Only three legends are ahead of him now:
- Sachin Tendulkar – 51 centuries
- Jacques Kallis – 45 centuries
- Ricky Ponting – 41 centuries
Top 5 Run-Scorers in Test Cricket History:
- Sachin Tendulkar – 15,921 runs
- Joe Root – 13,409 runs
- Ricky Ponting – 13,378 runs
- Jacques Kallis – 13,289 runs
- Rahul Dravid – 13,288 runs
Root continues to close in on cricketing greatness with each match.
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