Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes Joe Root can surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs and appearances. Ponting picked Root over other members of the Fab 4, including Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, to achieve the feat. Punter claimed that Root could do so if he pushes himself to play as many Tests as he can until he turns 37.
Root over Virat Kohli? Pointing thinks so
Ponting said that there was always talk of a player reaching his prime form in the 30s and that Joe Root had done that. The former Aussie star reckons that Root’s ability to solve his inability to convert fifties to hundreds has been a big thing. Punter also credited Root for getting better and better with each passing year.
“He (Root) could potentially do that. He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they’re playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year, and if you’re scoring 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then that sort of says he’s only three or four years off getting there,” Ponting told the ICC Review.
With 15921 runs from 200 Tests, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar sits at the top of the table in terms if most runs and Test appearances. Ponting is second on the list of most runs with 13,378 runs from 168 Tests. Joe Root 12037 runs from 143 Tests and is currently the seventh highest run-scorer in Tests.
Incidentally, none of the other three members of the Fab 4, including Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Babar Azam are anywhere near Joe Root. This gives the former England skipper a good chance to reach the milestones much before his rivals.
| Player | Matches | Runs |
| Joe Root | 143 | 12027 |
| Steve Smith | 109 | 9685 |
| Virat Kohli | 113 | 8848 |
| Kane Williamson | 100 | 8743 |
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