Over the last few days, the cricket fans have been abuzz with the fact that England batter Joe Root may overtake Sachin Tendulkar to become the most successful batter in terms of scoring Test runs. Many fans consider Tendulkar as the Mount Everest, and they think that Root is seeing the tip of it now.
With the age by his side and the number of Test matches that England play, Joe Root has a high chance of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs. Root has 12,274 runs to his name, at the age of 33. If he plays for five more years, he can break Tendulkar’s all-time record.
While Root has a realistic chance of breaking Tendulkar’s record for the most Test runs, here’s a list of three records of Tendulkar which Root may never be able to break.
1. Joe Root may not be able to play more Test matches than Sachin Tendulkar
Tendulkar owns the record for playing the most number of Test matches in the longest format’s history. He donned the whites 200 times at the international level. So far, Root has played 145 Test matches. To break Tendulkar’s record in the next five years, Root will have to play 11 Tests per year. It seems unlikely that Root will be able to break this record.
2. Most centuries in Test cricket
Even after a decade of retirement, Tendulkar owns the record for the most Test centuries in the history of the game. He registered 51 centuries in the longest format of the game. Root has 33 tons to his name right now.
Tendulkar has 18 more centuries than Root right now. Although Root has doubled his century count in the last four years, he may find it difficult to continue this purple patch for a longer run.
3. Most 90s in Test cricket history
Tendulkar jointly owns the record for the most 90s in Test cricket history with 10 scores of 90 to 99 in his career. He jointly owns the top position with Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid. Considering that Joe Root does not even have six 90s right now in his career, it seems improbable that he will overtake Tendulkar on this legendary list.
