New Delhi:has been mulling over the enormity of ’s achievements as he continues his own march up the all-time Test run-scoring charts. The England batter is second on the all-time list with 13,943 runs, only behind the Indian great, whose 15,921 is the benchmark in red-ball cricket.
With Root closing in on the summit of the game's batting records, comparisons with some of the game's great names are becoming increasingly common. His consistency across formats and longevity at the top level has already put him alongside the likes of Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and Jacques Kallis in discussions on the best batters of the modern era.
Now, as the debate grows over where his legacy might eventually sit, Root said being spoken of in the same breath as Tendulkar was an achievement in itself.
“It is amazing what Sachin Tendulkar did in the game. Believe me when I say that to be even in the conversation with him is enough for me. The guy played in my Test debut and before I was born, made his Test debut! His longevity is amazing in itself and then you look at the runs he got in Test cricket. But not only that, he's got 50 ODI hundreds too. All this while he was the most famous man in India. “Serious, serious player,” he told The Athletic in an interview.
Root's own Test journey has been a rollercoaster. His early years set him apart as one of England’s most technically gifted batters, before a tough run from 2018 to 2021 saw the consistency of his century-making disappear. In those 60 innings he was only able to get four hundreds.
The years following the pandemic, however, brought a transformation in his output. Root returned to prolific form and rebuilt his reputation as one of the game's premier run-scorers, piling up centuries at a remarkable rate.
The years following the pandemic, however, brought a transformation in his output. Root returned to prolific form and rebuilt his reputation as one of the game's premier run-scorers, piling up centuries at a remarkable rate.The years following the pandemic, however, brought a transformation in his output. Root returned to prolific form and rebuilt his reputation as one of the game's premier run-scorers, piling up centuries at a remarkable rate.
The years following the pandemic, however, brought a transformation in his output. Root returned to prolific form and rebuilt his reputation as one of the game's premier run-scorers, piling up centuries at a remarkable rate.
The years following the pandemic, however, brought a transformation in his output. Root returned to prolific form and rebuilt his reputation as one of the game's premier run-scorers, piling up centuries at a remarkable rate.