Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes Virat Kohli’s recent Test form has not helped him in an attempt to dethrone the record for the most runs scored in Tests set by Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli’s average has sunk below 50 with just two hundreds since 2020, and in his last nine Test matches, he has accumulated 1,669 runs with a disappointing average of 32.72. His contemporaries Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson have all moved ahead of him in his Test career.

Virat Kohli has 8871 runs in 114 matches which includes 29 centuries and 30 half centuries.

Virat Kohli Way Behind Sachin Tendulkar

According to Hogg, Kohli has lost precious momentum while chasing Tendulkar’s record with 8,871 runs from 114 Tests.

“I don’t think Virat is going to get there now. I just don’t think Virat is going to get there. I think he’s lost his momentum and the momentum that he’s lost has been for a number of years now. He’s got to turn around in the next 10 Test matches, or he’s going to drop off,” Hogg said on his YouTube channel.

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Joe Root: The Potential Player To Break Tendulkar’s Long Standing Record

Hogg puts more significance on the consistency produced by Joe Root in the post-Covid era.

“So, Joe Root has 146 Test matches with 12,000 runs. Sachin Tendulkar made nearly 16,000 runs in 200 Test matches. That’s 4,000 runs in 66 Tests. I think Joe Root can go close to toppling that,” he added.

“I think it’s going to be something to watch. Watch out, Joe Root is on the move to beat Sachin Tendulkar. I think quietly he’ll have that in the back of his mind to try and topple that little unique stat,” he concluded.

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In this context, he said that since 2021, Root has notched up 4,579 runs in 49 Tests with 17 centuries—half of his total hundred within two decades since his debut in 2012. Root is currently tops the ICC Test batting rankings with 922 rating points. The one closest to breaking Tendulkar’s record is Root himself, who needs only 3,519 runs to equal the tally as that legendary Indian batter.

Sachin Tendulkar has accumulated 15,921 runs in 200 matches while Joe Root currently has 12,402 runs in 146 matches. Root is the closest to break Tendulkar’s Test record after looking at his explosive current form.