Sachin Tendulkar, a masterclass Indian batsmen holds the record of most runs in Test cricket. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that Joe Root, a batter from England can break Tendulkar’s record.
Joe Root is currently at the 7th position with 12,027 runs in 143 Tests, while Tendulkar is leading the chart with 15,921 runs from 200 Tests.
“He (Root) could potentially do that,” Ponting said in the ICC review.
“He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they’re playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year, and if you’re scoring 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then that sort of says he’s only three or four years off getting there. So that’ll take him to 37 (years of age),” said Ponting
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Ricky Ponting highlighted that if the England Batsmen will continue like this, he’ll be able to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
“If his hunger’s still there, then there’s every chance that he could do it. He is someone that, in the last couple of years, has gotten better and better,” Ponting said.
“There’s always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he’s certainly done that. It’s been his conversion rates being the big thing.
“Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he’s gone the other way recently,” he said.
“Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that’s been the real turnaround for him.”
Ricky Ponting is on the second spot right after Tendulkar with 13378 runs.
Joe Root, scored 291 runs in the three-match Test series against the West Indies, he will now be seen in action against Sri Lanka. The first Test of the three-match series at home will start in Manchester on August 21.
England will also be travelling to Pakistan in October for a three-match Test series.