In his recent column for The Telegraph, former England captain Michael Vaughan sees Joe Root eclipsing the Little Master in the longest format of the game. (Reuters/AP)Joe Root will have to bear with that inevitable question every time he steps out to bat for a considerable period from now, looking to add to his 12,716 runs.
Can he eclipse Sachin Tendulkar to the pinnacle of Test match batting? Is he the man to nudge 15,922, one more than the Indian batting colossus?
Root’s compatriot, Alastair Cook, was the last batter to evoke the question. Running 33, Cook had gathered nearly 12,500 runs before abruptly calling it quits in 2018. Building on Cook’s consistency in relishing the chunk of Test matches served to England across Future Tours Program (FTP) timelines, Root has taken the Tendulkar pursuit into unfamiliar territory. Cook believes that this ‘generational’ talent can surpass 16,000. But is it as realistic as it appears?
|
Innings |
Runs |
Ave |
100 |
50 |
Date |
|
|
Sachin Tendulkar |
After 270 innings |
13,341 |
55.35 |
46 |
54 |
6 Feb 2010 |
|
Overall: 329 |
15921 |
53.78 |
51 |
68 |
14 Nov 2013 |
|
|
Joe Root |
After 270 innings |
12716 |
51.27 |
35 |
64 |
15 Oct 2024 |
At 33 years 298 days, around the same time when Cook chose to hang up his boots, Root is galloping past his contemporaries. Over 3000 runs divide Root and the next-highest active Test run-scorer, Steve Smith (9685). In the last two weeks in Multan, he surpassed Cook’s tally to become England’s highest run-scorer. Before the close of 2024, Root will likely become the fifth batter to reach the 13,000 mark.
Presently, 3205 runs separate Root from Tendulkar at the top. In only 12 years since debut, Root has played 270 innings, only 59 fewer than Tendulkar’s tally in 24 years between 1989 and 2013. That’s an average of nearly 22.5 innings per year compared to Tendulkar’s 13.7.
Cricket – Second Test – England v Sri Lanka – Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, Britain – August 31, 2024 England’s Joe Root acknowledges the crowd as he walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket, caught out by Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis off the bowling of Lahiru Kumara Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
But fans can hold their horses for a little longer.
After the third Test in Pakistan, England are slated to play 25 Tests (12 at home, 13 away) by March 2027, offering Root a maximum of 50 innings. He will be 36 by then, and even if he incredibly turns up for every one of these 25 games on the course, Root could still fall short of Tendulkar.
The deficit sounds achievable quicker than in 59 innings at his present zest – he has been averaging 55.80 since 2020, an acceleration compared to his current career average of 51.27. However, Root will still need to maintain and bat above his current career average, in the upcoming phase to get to Tendulkar at the same pace as Tendulkar.
|
Player |
Span |
Mat |
Inns |
NO |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
SR |
100 |
50 |
0 |
|
Joe Root |
2012-2019 |
89 |
164 |
12 |
7359 |
254 |
48.41 |
54.37 |
17 |
45 |
8 |
|
2020-present |
59 |
104 |
10 |
5357 |
262 |
55.80 |
61.47 |
18 |
19 |
4 |
In the potential road ahead, Root could play New Zealand twice (home and away), Pakistan again (home in 2026), face Zimbabwe in a Test for the first time in May 2025, and tour South Africa and Bangladesh in late 2026.
Wedged between these are two hefty challenges – facing India at home and the Ashes tour in November 2025.
Assembling Root’s aggregates from the previous edition of each assignment provides 2283 in 44 innings. Repeating the same scales could still hold him 800-1000 runs behind the Indian maestro by early 2027.
The last cycle included an all-timer five-match home series against India in 2021-22, where he amassed 737 runs in five Tests. Root could be touted to repeat the feat next year, but a decisive contest awaits against India’s seam spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has knocked him over nine times in Tests, five of which have come in England.
| England’s Test schedule until February 2027 | Root’s aggregate in previous corresponding series | |||
| Team | Date | Home | Away | |
| v NZ | Nov-Dec 2024 | 3 | 319 in 4 innings (2 Tests) in 2022 | |
| v ZIM | May 2025 | 1 | – | |
| v IND | Jun-Aug 2025 | 5 | 737 in 9 innings (5 Tests) in 2021-22 | |
| v AUS | Nov ’25-Jan ’26 | 5 | 322 in 10 innings (5 Tests) in 2012-22 | |
| v NZ | June 2026 | 3 | 396 in 6 innings (3 Tests) in 2022 | |
| v PAK | Aug-Sep 2026 | 3 | 94 in 4 innings (3 Tests) in 2020 | |
| v SA | Dec ’26-Jan ’27 | 3 | 317 in 7 innings (4 Tests) in 2019-20 | |
| v BAN | Feb 2027 | 2 | 98 in 4 innings (2 Tests) in 2016 | |
| Total | 12 | 13 | 2283 in 44 innings | |
Root’s biggest roadblock in the Tendulkar quest will appear in Australia, the kryptonite botching his claim for a foolproof Test profile. The Yorkshireman averages over 50 in seven of the nine countries where he has played at least five innings. It dips to 45 in India and plunges further down to 35.68 in Australia across three tours and 27 innings. Root only collected 322 in 10 innings in his last tour Down Under and flipping the scales at 34 next year will take some doing.
England’s Joe Root plays a shot in the fourth Test between India and England at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. (PTI Photo)
The most striking aspect of Root 2.0’s rejuvenation since 2020 though has been the marked refinement of his poorer away records to reputable standards.
Root only had two fifties in 11 innings against the Kiwis across three tours before recording a double hundred, an unbeaten 153 and 95 in New Zealand in his last five innings. He was unusually silent on England’s last trip to Pakistan in 2022 (125 in five innings) but switched it earlier this month with his highest Test score (261). Sri Lanka and the West Indies have rung similar Root turnarounds, providing the English No. 4 confidence to turn his middling Australia record around.
England’s Bazball psyche is unlikely to deter Root from having a proper crack at the record, at his typical tempo at the crease. Even as England’s batting run-rate (4.6) has towered above other teams since June 2022, Root’s monk-like presence has been integral to the 20 wins they have secured in the period. With his 1923 runs and seven hundreds in wins coming at an appreciable 71.30 strike rate, Root has subtly modified to keep up with his peers and also score the most vital runs for the side.
Despite it all, Root could appear chasing an illusion even as he draws nearer with each passing minute at the crease.
Numbers will take a backseat when India and Australia come firing with the Dukes and the Kookaburra next year. Failures then can put a heavy toll on an ageing run-machine, potentially even leading to retirement.
Should he sap the Indian and Aussie attacks by a protracted stretch, Root will be subject to a dedicated milestone watch from 2026.
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