Joe RootThe outing against New Zealand in the 2nd Test was not one of those innings that usually finds a place in the most important.Results of 21 and 18 at Trent Bridge did not help to keep England 1-2 in the series after taking the lead. Ben Stokes’ decision to retire from Test cricket dominated the headlines and England were left searching for answers after another series that promised more but delivered less. By the time the game ended, however, another number had quietly moved.The Root function is now at 14,114 Test based on 166 Tests. Only one man has scored more runs in the history of Test cricket. Sachin TendulkarThe number of 15,921, which was not clearly visible, is now 1,807 on the run.On its own, this does not make this dangerous. Cricket has been here before.When Ricky Ponting passed 13,000 runs, there was talk of whether he would go there. The same thing happened when Jacques Kallis continued to score runs season after season. Kumar Sangakkara’s stunning finish to his career briefly reopened the debate. Alastair Cook, England’s greatest run-scorer before Root, played 161 Tests and retired with more than 12,000 runs.One by one, they climbed the list. One by one, he concluded briefly.Over the past decade, Tendulkar’s reputation has remained the same as it was when he retired in 2013 – visible, admired and not talked about as something that could be broken.However, Root has changed this. Not only because he has reached 14,000 runs, but he has surpassed everyone.
In short, the chase is happening and the obvious way to look at the chase is through simple math. Root needs another 1,807 runs and England have a packed Test schedule over the next two years.He remains the first batsman and, unlike many players in his mid-thirties, there has been little sign of any decline or decline in fitness. And based on his competitive streak, that record could be seen again in another 18 to 21 tests if he keeps up his impressive streak in his career.But will he eventually reach that mark? And where is he currently placed to pursue this compared to others who would have had a chance to reach the top?Take Ponting, Kallis or Cook.All three crossed 12,000 Test runs. All three years he was among the best batsmen in the world. However by his mid-thirties, Tendulkar’s differences were much greater. They were scoring runs, but not fast enough to seriously threaten the record.And here’s the Root and the difference. At the age of 35, he has already scored more runs than Tendulkar at the same age.
To some extent, age is a strange way to compare fighting careers. Most records are measured in matches, innings, or runs. However, the years tell a different story.Tendulkar made his Test debut at the age of 16 and went on to score nearly a quarter of a century in international cricket. Root arrived later, aged 21, but has improved so much over the past decade that he has erased a five-year lead.That’s what makes this run different from the others. For the first time since Tendulkar’s retirement, the record is not being discussed because another batsman has reached his peak.However, there is another side to the story. Because while Root is ahead of time, most of the batting numbers that define greatness still belong to Tendulkar.Tendulkar’s career average is very high. He scored a lot of runs every time he came out to bat. He reached big wins in few innings and turned fifties plus hundreds many times.While Root became the youngest batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs, Tendulkar reached the milestone in less time. The same pattern continued at 14,000. Root got there young. Tendulkar arrived quickly.
And what has really helped Root is that England have played more Test cricket than any other side in the last decade. Root has never missed a match. Most importantly, he didn’t disappear for long.Every big hit goes through thin patches. Ponting said. Cook said. Even Tendulkar had moments when hundreds dried up. Root’s amazing consistency since 2021 has prevented this from happening.He has continued to score runs regardless of opposition or circumstances and, most importantly, has continued to make himself available. One innings becomes another Test. One list is the summer of another house. Over the course of fourteen years, that extra chance has gained a lead that none of Tendulkar’s opponents have been able to create.
After 25 Tests, Root established himself in England’s middle order. By age 50, he had completed 4,000 trips. And the milestones kept coming – 75 Tests, 100 Tests, 125 and then 150. At each milestone, the gap between him and Tendulkar narrowed, not because of one spectacular season but because the accumulation never really stopped.There are other comparisons that prove how different the two jobs have become.
Tendulkar has bowled more runs away from home than he did in India, doing slightly better overseas than the pitches he is used to. It remains one of the least celebrated of his career.Root division is different. His strongest numbers have come in England, although one opponent has made his record better than any other. Against India, Root has scored more than 3,300 Test runs in 13 years, making it the most rewarding run of his career. Australia is still a formidable opponent whose return does not match its overall record.While these numbers help define performance, they don’t define history. For this reason, it helps to look at how Tendulkar scored his highest score at the age of 35. By the time Tendulkar turned 35, he had already achieved almost everything a Test batsman could hope for. He passed 12,000 times, but 4,000 times was not enough.Those years are not often discussed in Tendulkar’s career. Fans remember the direct drive in Perth, the duels with Shane Warne and the Desert Storm innings in Sharjah, although they came in one-day cricket. The history itself, however, was protected by later events.He continued to play. He continued to score.
And this is the part Root just entered. These figures show that he has given himself a chance to beat anyone he has batted against since Tendulkar’s retirement.They don’t prove anything more than that. The remaining 1,807 trips cannot be counted as one summer or one overseas trip. They will depend on something that is very difficult to predict: fitness, selection, and whether Root can avoid the slow decline that eventually catches up with every Tester.England’s schedule gives him a chance.
That’s why Root’s succession feels different from the one surrounding Ponting, Kallis or Cook. Opponents in the past were trying to catch all of Tendulkar. Root has already done part of the work that is important.The future is part of what made 15,921 possible in the first place. Whether they get there will be known in the next two or three years.Now one thing has changed.For more than a decade, Tendulkar’s reputation remained untouched as no one had made it this far with enough runs behind them.Root is, and the chase is no longer a fantasy. It has become real.
