Can Joe Root overtake Sachin Tendulkar’s Test record?
Is cricket’s calendar set-up in such a way that the game’s aggregate records in the Test and ODI format will never be broken again?
For the first time in nearly two decades, there’s concern in India that one of their national treasures is under genuine threat.
That of course being Sachin Tendulkar’s incredible tally of total Test runs – 15,921 in all.
It’s not a full-blown worry yet but not since Ricky Ponting in the mid-2000s has anyone laid an unofficial claim for that throne, which Indians believe is Tendulkar’s birthright, and one that is considered insurmountable for good reason.
It is undeniable though that Joe Root at the present seems to be on the march, much like Ponting seemed to be at one stage.
This might very well have happened to you during a trip to India. When you were discovered to be from Australia and were immediately pulled into a random conversation about how great Ponting is. Or just heard the words, “Australia? Ricky Ponting!” thrown at you.
Now, it is true that there’s no country in the world that reveres cricketers quite like India does. And, of course, there’s nothing to be surprised about Ponting being very popular over there, considering his legend status around the world. But the level of grudging admiration for Ponting in India far exceeds what gets bestowed upon even the late Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath.
For the one reason that he was the only cricketer in the world who came close to actually challenging Tendulkar.
To the extent that for a brief period between 2005-2007, there was genuine concern that Ponting might even go past Tendulkar in terms of overall Test runs.
It was a two-year period where Ponting amassed 2877 runs at an average of 75.71 while Tendulkar lost form and was struggling with a tennis elbow injury.
By the end of 2006, the then Australian captain was only 1267 runs behind Tendulkar. The closest he ever got. Ponting never reached those heights again while the Indian master broke away, finishing 2543 runs ahead of his counterpart at No 2.
There were others like Jacques Kallis and even Kumar Sangakkara who were looked at as distant challengers for brief periods before Sir Alastair Cook went through a phase when a few wondered if he could go all the way.
None of them, though, seemed as real a contender for Tendulkar’s title as Root does now. As he should, based on the form he’s carried with the bat since 2021.
The former England captain has scored 4554 runs in 48 Tests since 2021 with 17 centuries.
As it stands, Root is 3544 runs away from eclipsing that Mt Everest of all batting records. So, if he can maintain this very high standard, he should go past Tendulkar in around 37 Tests. Of course sport isn’t always that straightforward.
There are a number of factors though which are in Root’s favour. He has time on his side to start with. The Yorkshireman turns only 34 this December and has largely been injury-free during his Test career.
Add to it the fact that England end up playing more Tests than any other country. In the remaining four months alone, Root has six Tests to look forward to. Three of those on the flat pitches of Pakistan followed by three in New Zealand, where he averages 52.53 overall and 136.25 in his last five innings.
The next calendar year should be his next big hurdle, however.
He’ll have a solitary Test against Zimbabwe on home soil before taking on the might of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in the English summer before travelling to Australia for the Ashes. For the record, he does average 74.95 against India at home, and will back himself to set his record straight on Australian pitches, where in addition to never having made a century, he averages a disappointing 35.68.
Root has spoken a lot about how England’s freestyle approach to Test cricket has helped his batting approach immensely, and he’s got the numbers to show for it.
Just in the past two years alone, he has averaged 59.23, amassing 2488 runs with nine centuries, his record in the Bazball era.
Only last week, he went past Cook’s record for most Test centuries for an Englishman, and he’s only 95 runs away from surpassing his predecessor’s tally.
The 2026 home summer will give him six Tests, three apiece against New Zealand and Pakistan. He should have flown past the Ponting airspace by then and only have Tendulkar in his sights. And if it all goes to plan, by the time he’s approaching his 38th birthday, Root could well be within touching distance.
It also puts into perspective just how far away Mt Tendulkar still is, even for someone scoring at the rate at which Root is in the modern day.
Whether he does get there or not, it’s safe to say that Root will be the final threat to the Tendulkar milestone. Firstly, Root’s contemporaries have lost steam in the same period he’s found a new gear.
Kohli’s Test numbers in that time have fallen away. He has scored only two centuries in 44 innings while Australia’s Steve Smith has notched up just six centuries in 60 innings.
Williamson is next best to Root in terms of averages, but New Zealand don’t play enough Tests for him to be able to get anywhere near. What about those who’ll come after?
There’s generally a never say never outlook to most records in sport – which, as the cliche goes, are made to be broken.
The changing dynamics of world cricket, though, might be the biggest hindrance for a batter even dreaming of attempting the marathon climb to 15,921 runs. None of the teams outside India, England or Australia will play enough Tests for there to be a mathematical chance.
Some might argue that cricket, or any sport for that matter, loses some of its magic if records start to become unattainable.
Though the focus here is on Tendulkar’s Test record, there’s also the 18,426 runs he totalled in ODIs, which will also remain untouched, with the dwindling interest in 50-over cricket for those watching and those playing.
Not to even get started on Muttiah Muralitharan’s unbelievable records with the ball in Tests and ODIs.
No wonder, then, that even the remote possibility of Root going past Tendulkar in Tests – even if for now it’s others setting the Englishman’s sights on that record vicariously – has created such a buzz.
It’ll still take a few years before India goes into a real frenzy over losing their national treasure. For now, Mt Tendulkar is safe and stands tall, like it always has.
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