Sachin Tendulkar is often hailed as the greatest batter to ever play the sport of cricket. His admirers even call him the ‘God of Cricket.’ His mastery, longevity, range, and records all make him stand apart. It isn’t a shock that 3/4 of the Fab 4 consider Tendulkar as their idol.
One of these fanboys is on the path to break his greatest record. Joe Root became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history yesterday. His 150-run knock at Manchester saw him sail past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting. Now just one man remains ahead of Root: Tendulkar.
Root admires idol Tendulkar
Before giving his opinions on the record. Root raved on about Tendulkar. His old tweet about the legendary Indian batter has been doing the rounds on social media. He also shared more about what it was like playing against his idol.
“Sachin is one of the greats. All the things he achieved with the pressure he had to shoulder were incredible. Someone you watched as a kid and wanted to emulate. He made his Test debut before I was born. Then you find yourself playing against him; it was an incredible experience.
Pujara had scored a double hundred in the first Test. In the next one, he got out early, and the entire crowd started cheering. I didn’t get it at first, then realised it was because Sachin was coming in to bat. It felt bizarre but showed how loved and legendary he was,” Root told Sony Sports Network.
Not focusing on records
Root said that breaking Tendulkar’s record isn’t on his mind. The desire remains to win matches for England. Scoring big runs is his job, and he’ll continue to do that. Records will be the byproduct of that.
“It’s not something I’ll focus on. Those things should look after themselves. The focus has to be on winning games. The numbers are everywhere, aren’t they? But you try not to get caught up in it. You’re not doing your job if you’re thinking only about yourself,” Root added.
Most runs in Test cricket
| Player | Mat | Inns | Runs | Ave | 100s | 50s | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 200 | 329 | 15921 | 53.78 | 51 | 68 | 248* |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 157 | 286 | 13409 | 51.17 | 38 | 66 | 262 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 168 | 287 | 13378 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 | 257 |
| Jacques Kallis (ICC/SA) | 166 | 280 | 13289 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 | 224 |
| Rahul Dravid (ICC/IND) | 164 | 286 | 13288 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 | 270 |
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