Joe Root on cusp of creating history, just needs 120 runs to beat players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in…
New Delhi: England star batsman Joe Root is on his way to surpassing some more legends as his path to Sachin Tendulkar‘s all-time Test run record just got a little easier.
Joe Root is on the verge of achieving a major milestone in Test cricket, needing only 120 runs in the upcoming fourth Test at Manchester to go past Ricky Ponting and claim the second spot on the list of all-time highest run-scorers, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar. With England holding a 2-1 lead in the series, Root responded to his early struggles by notching a century at Lord’s in the third Test. He will now be focused on extending his rich vein of form and reinforcing his status as England’s leading batting force.
In three Tests so far, he has scored 253 runs at an average of 50.60, including a century and a half-century. He is the eighth-highest run-scorer so far, which is a little disappointing by the vast standards of his current decade.
Where Joe Root dominates – Superb record in Manchester
Joe Root has an excellent record in Manchester. He is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket at this ground. He has scored 978 runs in 11 Tests and 19 innings here at an average of 65.20, which includes one century and seven half-centuries. His best score is 254 runs.
Who are the targets, and who are Root’s next victims?
Joe Root is currently the fifth highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He has so far scored 13,259 runs in 156 Tests and 285 innings at an average of 50.80, which includes 37 centuries and 66 half-centuries. His best score is 262 runs. If Root scores 30 more runs, he will leave behind Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs, 164 Tests) and by scoring 120 runs, he will overtake Jacques Kallis (13,289 runs, 166 Tests) and Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs, 168 Tests) and reach the second position.
What is the ultimate goal? Tendulkar’s record is still far away
Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He has scored 15,921 runs in 200 Tests and 329 innings at an average of 53.78. He has 51 centuries and 68 half-centuries to his name, and his best score is 248*. This record is still far away for Root, but it cannot be called impossible, considering his recent form.
India and England teams – Who is in the squad
India’s Test team: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England squad (for fourth Test): Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
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