Sachin Tendulkar on Joe Root’s Brilliance: Joe Root has been one of the finest batters in Test cricket, and even the great Sachin Tendulkar has acknowledged his brilliance. In fact, Tendulkar revealed that he had spotted Root’s potential right from his debut series against India back in 2012.
The Indian legend recently took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, where he praised Joe Root as the best among today’s Test batters and a very special player. He also recalled the prediction he made during Root’s very first Test in Nagpur.
Sachin Tendulkar himself was recently honoured by both the BCCI and the ECB when they renamed the famous Pataudi Trophy as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in recognition of two modern greats, England’s legendary fast bowler James Anderson and India’s batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar’s First Impression of Joe Root
During the AMA, fans threw all sorts of interesting questions at Sachin, and as always, he had some witty and thoughtful answers.
One fan asked: “What was your first impression about Joe Root? Also he has now crossed 13,000 Test runs and is second only to you and he played his 1st match against you.”
Sachin Tendulkar replied: “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.”
He went on to add: “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.”
Root’s Memorable Debut in Nagpur
That first impression has certainly stood the test of time. Root made his Test debut on December 13, 2012, against India in Nagpur. With England already leading the series 2-1, the visitors were struggling at 119/4 when Root walked in at number six. Facing India’s spinners in tough subcontinent conditions, he showed remarkable calm and skill.
He batted for 229 balls, scoring 73 runs alongside Kevin Pietersen, and helped England reach 330. He also chipped in with 20 runs in the second innings, ensuring the match ended in a draw. That performance played a key role in England sealing their first Test series win in India since 1985-86.
Joe Root Chasing Tendulkar’s Record
Fast forward to today, and Joe Root has become the fastest batter to reach 13,000 Test runs. He achieved the milestone during the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Sachin Tendulkar still sits at the top of the all-time list with 15,921 runs, but Root isn’t too far behind. With 13,543 runs to his name, he now trails Sachin by just 2,378 runs.
Given the form he’s in and the years he still has left at the highest level, Root will be eager to keep closing that gap, with the next Ashes series in Australia already looking like another chance to edge closer to the record.
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