Joe Root grows closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s Test crown of '15921'

When Daren Sammy caught Sachin Tendulkar at slips in his farewell Test innings at the Wankhede Stadium, scorers would’ve believed that the apex of the run-scoring chart would now be fixed forever. No one will come close, let alone cross the GOAT. The greatest of all time scored the greatest run tally in the greatest format of the game. When Tendulkar shared his emotional farewell speech to Harsha Bhogle, the second-best non-retired batter in terms of run-scoring was Mahela Jayawardene with 10,806 runs, more than five thousand runs behind Tendulkar’s iconic 15,921 and the Sri Lankan great retired just 10 months later.

Almost 5,000 miles away in Yorkshire was a 11-Test old Joe Root preparing for a tough Ashes tour Down Under, his first. Back then, he was 612 spots away from Tendulkar’s tally of nearly 16,000 Test runs and had only a handful of 763 runs to show. No one would’ve believed that this same lad with the high elbow and an upright stance would not only come close to Tendulkar’s mark but also be a serious contender to dethrone the master of Test cricket.

Root’s climb begins & the mountain now looks reachable

Comparing eras could be tough. Tendulkar might have faced bowlers of higher quality and tenacity. He batted across three generations and modelled his game as per the situation (something that not all greats can do). But we can take nothing away from Root, who is now just 1,984 runs behind him. Tendulkar’s 15921 runs have never had this fear of getting ‘touched’ until now. A splendid 160 at SCG not only saw Root join Ricky Ponting with 41 centuries but also made him look at the title of the ‘Greatest Test batter’ (in terms of only runs, of course) with more transparency.

Turning 35 just a few days ago, Root has never had a clearer chance to turn this benchmark burden into a rite of passage. He has previously stated that he doesn’t look at individual records. But when you are at that height on a mountain, all alone, you’d tend to think a bit selfishly. And there’s no harm in this. His scoring runs will only benefit England, who really struggled throughout the Aussie summer. In a time where the future of Brendon McCullum is uncertain, Root’s place in the Test side isn’t. He doesn’t play T20Is, which is the flavour of the season currently. ODIs happen just to put up the numbers. And thankfully for Root, England play the most number of Tests annually.

Joe Root brings up his second Test century in Australia 👏#Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/bXwBXY7nw0
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2026

Everything aligns for Joe Root

All things favour the former English captain, who is ready to break the final hurdle after he saved Matthew Hayden’s “grace”. Australia no longer remains Root’s final frontier. That pressure is off him as well. More breathing space and England playing 11 more Tests in the ongoing WTC cycle means he has 22 more innings possibly to get in more proximity of the scale 15921.

Ever since 2021, Root has unquestionably been the best Test batter. Even in the WTC era, where it feels a luxury to have Test matches go over four days, and the revival of the ‘bowling’ era, Root stands tall. He has 6114 runs at 56.09, including 24 centuries. That means he had 17 tons to show from 2013 to 2020. In the next five years, he has accumulated 24. Can you really stop him? Quite possibly no. If he continues to steer at this pace, it would only take Root 35 more Test innings to go past Tendulkar.

Most Test runs since 2021 ft. Root

Player	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
Joe Root	66	120	6114	262	56.09	62.07	24	17
Steve Smith	48	83	3376	200*	46.88	51.16	10	15
Travis Head	46	79	3338	175	45.1	80.62	9	14

But he can do it quicker. His next 12 Test innings will be at home. And since Covid has struck, Root has been infectious with an amazing average of 64.8 in England. He scores a century in every 2.3 Tests at home (since 2021), and with England hosting New Zealand and Pakistan this year, you’d imagine runs aplenty for the England great. Then will come the Proteas land, where Root averages 50 before those grinding wickets will bring the best out of Root’s run-accumulating calibre against spin.

Even if we consider the law of averages, Root is likely to add 600 more runs to his tally till February 2027. He’ll still remain 35 and with England not prioritising WTC, Root’s retirement won’t be dependent on a WTC final. It can be well orchestrated when he surpasses the Little Master. With fitness not an issue, Root is going to play a couple of years more. The distance to tally 15921 won’t be that long. In terms of sheer quality of batting, Root hasn’t shown any signs of regression. Unlike Virat Kohli, whose batting dipped extensively post-Covid, and unlike Kane Williamson, who is a much better batter at home, Root doesn’t have those problems right now.

To sum it up, it would be surprising if Root doesn’t end up hammering down the greatest runs tally. He has all the advantages with him. The game isn’t leaving him until he leaves behind Tendulkar.