Joe Root’s exceptional batting has been praised by former England captain Michael Vaughan, even hinting that Root might one day surpass the record of the highest number of runs scored by a batsman in men’s Test cricket history set by Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 test runs still stands as one of the most formidable feats in cricket. Over a span of 24 years, Tendulkar showed outstanding quality, consistency and longevity making him ‘the God of Cricket’. Though Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara have come close to it, no one has ever broken this record.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested Joe Root can become the next man to break Tendulkar’s all-time best. The Englishman hailed Root’s extraordinary bat skill, method and his form lately while stating that he may soon beat Tendulkar’s score.
“Joe Root will soon go past Sir Alastair Cook as England’s all-time leading run-scorer and is so good that he could pass Sachin Tendulkar eventually.’ As for that rock it is obviously key to this and I love how he held back on the reverse-scoop until after he had reached three-figures with his side miles clear.
“Against an attack like the West Indies in these conditions you expect him to get a ton. He missed out in the first innings but was so determine to put it right in the second. He was never going to make the same mistakes,” wrote Vaughan in his column for The Telegraph.
Vaughan believed more strongly about this after root played a brilliant knock of 122 against west indies at Trent Bridge which included some clever use of reverse scoop shots
Root’s consistent performance and ability to score under pressure are what make him an indispensable part of England’s Test squad. With 11,940 test runs, and 32 centuries to his name, he is close to breaking a range of records held by Alastair Cook, such as the record for most test hundreds (33) and highest test run scorer (12,472).
Root has just gone above Brian Lara’s record and is now on course to become only the seventh player in history with 12,000 Test runs.
While Vaughan makes a bold claim, Root’s recent performances and career trajectory indicate that he could challenge Tendulkar’s record. However, surpassing such a monumental achievement will call for continuous excellence over a long period of time – something similar to what Tendulkar had in terms of an incredible span at the top.
