Day four of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, Joe Root had a tough day. In the process, he passed former greats Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid to become the second most prolific run-scorer amongst active players. That four brought his 34-year-old punk England captain past his 120th run. With this remarkable accomplishment, he etched his name into the annals of cricket history.
Root’s innings of 150 not only proved his masterclass skill, but underlined his superb form since 2021. For the last two years he has averaged an incredible 93 runs per Test. Since that third Test match in India last year, that average has rocketed to 101 runs per innings across 19 Tests.
At his current rate, Root is on track to overtake Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record of 13,409 runs. Tendulkar’s remarkable achievement is one Root has been clear he won’t be chasing. Instead, he plans to look out for his own career interests going forward.
“I did speak to Nass a lot, to be fair,” said Root, when discussing former England captain and current TV pundit Nasser Hussain, who Root says helped give clarity during dark days of the pandemic. “One thing I’ve done within that period is actually try and look at the game slightly differently,” he added, emphasizing his approach to improvement.
Root’s ascent to second place in the run-scoring list comes after playing 157 Tests, and if he maintains his current form, he could reach Tendulkar’s total in approximately 30 additional matches. At that pace, our projection indicates he would surpass this milestone by summer of 2027. At that time he will be 36 years old.
“No matter the pressure of being compared to Tendulkar, Root won’t let it bother him. Those sort of things should look after themselves,” he remarked, showcasing his focus on performance rather than records.
His willingness to evolve and improve his skillset is evident. When the COVID-19 pandemic paused his season, he took the time to sharpen his craft and work on his mental game.
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