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Test ton No 34: Joe Root ‘favourite’ among 4 to chase down God Sachin Tendulkar, here’s why

Test ton No 34: Joe Root ‘favourite’ among 4 to chase down God Sachin Tendulkar, here’s why

With his latest century against Sri Lanka, Joe Root became only the fourth batter to hammer centuries in both innings of a Lord's Test!

When Sachin Tendulkar retired from Test cricket, nobody would’ve believed that any player would surpass the great man’s heroic tally of 15,921 runs in the format. But now, there is a guy named Joseph Edward Root, better known as Joe Root, who can eclipse the all-time record. 

Century feast for Root

Root, who only a month ago surpassed the 12,000-run mark, has now scripted his name in further folklore. The Yorkshireman started his career with a fifty on his debut against India in 2012. Mind you, it was the same series which India’s last lost at home. From 2012 to 2020, Root smashed 17 centuries in 89 matches. That is a ton after every 5.23 Test. However, since the turn of 2020, the lad has gone onto another planet altogether.

Since January 1, 2020, Root has notched up not one or two but 17 more Test hundreds. Looks like the ‘Bazball’ effect has got him rolling big time. 17 hundreds that are in 56 matches, meaning a triple figure mark every 3.29 game. His recent set came against Sri Lanka at the iconic Lord’s Stadium! The Sri Lankan bowlers had no idea on how to see the back of Root, and the former English skipper hammered twin centuries to put England miles ahead of the game.

Most Test Runs ft. Tendulkar & Root

PlayerTest RunsMatches
Sachin Tendulkar15,921200
Ricky Ponting13,378168
Jacques Kallis13,289166
Rahul Dravid13,288164
Alastair Cook12,472161
Kumar Sangakkara12,400134
JOE ROOT12,377145*
Brian Lara11,953131

Among current batters, Root is possibly the one who can do the unthinkable – breach the Sachin Tendulkar’s tally in Tests. At 33 years old, Root is the most dependable English player. If he plays around 10 Tests for lets say 4 more years, there are 40 more Tests in him. With Root just around 3,544 runs away from Tendulkar, he can easily breach the all-time landmark. Even among all the active cricketers, Root’s name is at the top.

Most Test hundreds for England ft. Root

100sPlayer
34Joe Root
33Alastair Cook
23 Kevin Pietersen
22Wally Hammond
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