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"Boring And Methodical": Joe Root On Chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s Record Of Most Test Runs

Akshita Patel

Joe Root inching closer to Tendulkar [Source: @Aryan42832Goel, @Loyalsachfan10/X.com]Joe Root inching closer to Tendulkar [Source: @Aryan42832Goel, @Loyalsachfan10/X.com]

England batter Joe Root has said that he isn’t thinking about breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs. Root recently moved up to second place on the all-time Test run list after scoring a brilliant century on Day 4 of the fourth Test against India at Manchester.

After a series of failures in the first 3 Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Root showed signs of life at Old Trafford. He overpowered a dispirited Indian bowling lineup and scored 150 off 248 balls.

Joe Root Not Focused On Sachin Tendulkar’s Mighty Record

With that 150-run knock, Joe Root now has 13,409 Test runs, which is 2512 runs behind legend Sachin Tendulkar, who tops the list of most runs scored in the history of Test cricket with 15,921 runs.

However, despite sublime form and a realistic shot at surpassing Tendulkar, Root, talking to BBC's Test Match Special, said he is not worried about the stats. He is instead focused on the welfare of England, saying personal records will look after themselves.

"Those sort of things should look after themselves. The focus has to be about winning games, setting them up if we're earlier on in the Test match and if we need to chase something down, figuring out how to play that situation well. It might sound a little bit boring and methodical, but ultimately that's what I need to do to help England win and that's why we play the game," Root said.

Interestingly, Root overtook Ricky Ponting during his knock and had earlier passed other legends like Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. The former England captain said it feels “cool” to be mentioned alongside players he admired growing up.

"It's not something that I will focus on," Root said. Ricky's someone that I grew up admiring, watching, trying to emulate, copy in the garden and at my local club - trying to play the pull shot that he's obviously world famous for. So even just to be spoken about in the same sentence as those guys, the people that you grew up wanting to emulate and pretending to be is pretty cool," he added.

Root has played 157 Tests so far. Tendulkar played 200 Tests between 1989 and 2013. He retired just a year after Root’s debut in 2012. Hence, with a few years of cricket left in him, the Englishman will certainly hog the eyeballs of cricket fans in the near future.

Root Tops List For Most Test Centuries Against India

With a hundred (150) in Manchester, Joe Root has now scored the most Test centuries against India, surpassing legends of the game with a remarkable 12 tons. The former England captain has been a consistent thorn in India's side, mastering both home and away conditions.

His latest hundred in Manchester cemented his place at the top, overtaking Steven Smith (11) and greats like Ricky Ponting, Vivian Richards, and Garry Sobers (8 each). Root has also amassed over 3000 runs against India at an average close to 60, making him the most successful Test batter ever against the Indian team.