Joe Root Climbs Historic Charts but Brushes Off Sachin Tendulkar Talk
Joe Root may have taken another mighty stride towards greatness with a sparkling 150 against India, but the Yorkshireman isn’t losing sleep over chasing down Sachin Tendulkar’s towering Test run record.
Root’s latest masterclass in the fourth Rothesay Test at Old Trafford saw him leapfrog cricketing giants Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history. Only India’s iconic Tendulkar, who tallied a staggering 15,921 runs, remains ahead of him.
But for Root, the milestone is just that, a landmark, not a finish line. “I can’t avoid it – they’re everywhere,” Root told Sky Sports. “It is easy to get caught up in this stuff but at the end of the day, you’re playing against India in one of the biggest series there is.”
“It’s not about you, it’s about winning the game and getting your team in a position where you can follow through on that. You’re not doing your job if you’re concentrating on yourself.”
“Even just to be mentioned in the (same) sentence as these guys is a bit of a pinch-yourself moment.”
Root’s modesty is textbook. And yet, the numbers tell a different tale.
Since the start of 2021, he’s racked up 5,586 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 56.42. Not to mention, 21 centuries in just four years — a prolific run that’s sparked real debate: could he actually catch “The Little Master”?
Former Aussie skipper Ponting thinks so. Many do. But Root remains grounded, even philosophical, about his late-career bloom.
“I actually went away during that period and asked can I get some footage off Sky and just look at modes of dismissal (to see) if there were any trends,” Root explained, reflecting on a turning point during the pandemic.
“One thing that I’ve done within that period is actually try and look at the game slightly differently.”
“At the start of my career, a lot of it was based on my technique. Whereas in this second phase of things, it’s been more about managing risk and thinking how can I eliminate as many modes of dismissal as possible with the highest output?”
It’s classic Root: quietly analytical, always evolving. While others might chase legacy, he keeps his eyes fixed on the team sheet, the scorecard, and the next delivery.
At 34, he’s not showing signs of slowing. His approach, blending introspection with instinct, has redefined the latter stages of his career — and possibly reshaped the Test batting landscape.
