With an imperious 150 at Old Trafford on Friday, English champion Joe Root charged past greats including Aussie icon Ricky Ponting on the all-time run scorers list, taking another step towards becoming an immortal at the crease.
His next task once seemed cricket’s version of Mission Impossible.
But with his flashing blade continuing to torment the world’s best bowling attacks, ‘catching Sachin’ no longer appears out of reach. Sachin Tendulkar’s magical mark of 15,922 is on the horizon.
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Ponting, who had the honour of calling Root’s progression past him on the all-time list as the 34-year-old moved to 13,409 runs with a 150 that almost guarantees England a series victory over India, believes the Englishman can reel in the Indian legend.
“Congratulations, Joe Root. Magnificent. Second on the table. 120 not out. This crowd at the ground, this very knowledgeable crowd here at Old Trafford, stands as one (to salute you),” Ponting called for Sky Sports as Root demoted him to third on the all-time list.
“Just one more to go now. (He is) about 2500 runs behind, but the way that his career has gone over the last four or five years, there is absolutely no reason why not. He still has that hunger and desire to continue to find ways to improve and get better. Trust me, that doesn’t get any easier the older you get.”
Root, who also drew level with Kumar Sangakkara on the all-time list of Test centuries with his 38th ton, now trails only Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45) and Tendulkar’s record of 51. It appears a more unlikely target, but Root is a remarkable player.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who is a Fox Cricket analyst, said the No.4 has ticked off almost everything in cricket bar Tendulkar’s milestone individually, and he is confident he will reel in the “Little Master” as well.
But be believes there is another factor driving the champion in his mid-30s, namely a desire to conquer Australian down under, with perhaps his final chance to do so coming later this year in the Ashes.
“I guess the one thing he would really like is an Ashes series victory, but not just that, but also a couple of hundreds down under,” Vaughan said on the BBC.
“For England to win the Ashes, he is going to have to carry on with this kind of form. When you think about his whole career, and the only thing he is yet to get is a hundred down under, that is a special career so far.”
The durable Englishman, who has missed only two Tests since his debut against India in 2012, was the worthy recipient of accolades from luminaries led by Ponting after steering England to 7-544 in Manchester in response to India’s first innings tally of 358.
England lead the series 2-1 and have two days left to secure a series triumph, but the focus was on the feat of Root and whether he can chase down the mighty Tendulkar mark in the latter stages of what has been a golden career.
Root is a year older than when Alastair Cook, England’s previous top run-scorer, retired back in 2018.
The stylish former opener, who still looks fit enough to play, is now a fixture in commentary boxes during English summers and was on the microphone when Root surpassed him a year ago to become England’s highest run-scorer.
This time it was Ponting’s duty to call the moment where the English superstar overtook him on the all-time list.
“How convenient? Well done to the TV company to do that. It was nice to see someone else (experience that). It was inevitable for Ricky today, because once he got in, you knew he was going to get 120. It was only a matter of time,” Cook said on the BBC.
While Root’s appetite for runs remains, age does suggest that life should get harder at the crease for him in coming years, a point made by Ponting.
But he still looks as agile in brain and, importantly, footwork as he did in his twenties. This is a cricketer in his prime who is “enjoying the game”, Vaughan said.
“In terms of all the sports stars in the UK, and we have many, he is right at the top of the list because he looks like when he is under pressure, whatever the moment, he looks like he is enjoying himself,” he said.
Cook highlighted the cracking shots he played to move past Rahul Dravid (13,288) and Kallis (13,289) as an example. Within a couple of hours he had overtaken Ponting (13,378) as well.
“He isn’t finished yet. This story is not finished with Joe Root. We talk about how great he is. He could become … the world’s greatest Test match batsman,” Cook said on the BBC after stumps.
Based on his current average 0f 85.4 runs per match, Root would need to play another 30 Tests to get to the current mark. He is on track to overtake the Indian legend in 2028, with the prospect that could come in the land where Tendulkar is revered as a God.
The Aussies, of course, will be doing their utmost to restrict him during the five Test Ashes series beginning on November 21 in Perth and it is worth noting what is clearly a quirk Root be keen to correct, namely his lack of a Test century in Australia.
After the Ashes, he will have the chance to fill his boots at the crease with three Test series against New Zealand and Pakistan scheduled for the next northern summer, prior to a three Test series in South Africa in 2026-27 and two more in Bangladesh.
Then comes another big stanza that could determine how realistic his push to reel in Tendulkar is. It starts with a special one, namely the 150th anniversary Test to be played at the MCG in March, 2027. England then hosts seven Tests at home in 2027, including the Ashes.
“It is his enthusiasm. It is his drive. It is his composure. His technique. He has got pretty much everything,” Vaughan said.
“I look at him and think, ‘Where is the area of concern?’ If that ball nips back, he has a technique that looks after it now.”
While the projections have Root reaching Tendulkar’s magical mark in 2028, he has increased his average per match in recent years to 93 since the start of 2021 and Vaughan, never one to miss giving the Aussies a dig, is hoping his fellow Yorkshireman might reach it earlier.
“I have looked into my crystal ball and if he goes on at this rate … it will be the fourth Test against Australia in 2027,” Vaughan said.
“I think (Pat) Cummins will just slot one on his hip and he will say, ‘Thank you very much’ and he will wade past Sachin Tendulkar.”
