Former Australian team leader Ricky Ponting believes that Joe Root has the potential to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of runs in Test cricket if he remains motivated and continues to score consistently over the next four years. Root recently became the seventh player ever to reach 12,000 runs in the traditional format of the game, achieving this milestone during the Edgbaston Test against the West Indies. With 12,027 runs in 143 Test matches, averaging 50.11, including 32 centuries and 63 half-centuries, Root is currently the seventh highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He is likely to soon overtake Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (12,400 runs) and his ex-teammate Alastair Cook (12,472 runs).
Sachin Tendulkar holds the top spot with 15,921 runs from 200 Test matches.
Ricky Ponting, who is in second place with 13,378 runs from 168 Test matches, said in an interview with The ICC Review, “He (Root) might be able to achieve that. He is 33 years old…(more than) 3000 runs behind.”
“It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they play 10 to 14 Test matches a year and if he scores 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then it shows he’s only three or four years away from reaching that goal. So that would take him to 37 years old,” said the famous Australian player.
Ponting mentioned that Root will need to keep wanting to score runs and as the English batter is still young, he has the chance to aim for the Test record.
“If he’s still hungry for success, he might very well achieve it. Over the past few years, he’s been improving steadily,” Ponting commented.
“People often discuss how batters reach their best form in their early 30s, and he’s definitely shown that. His ability to turn good scores into great ones has been key,” he mentioned.
Ponting noted that Root appeared to have fixed his issue of not being able to turn half-centuries into larger scores.
“A few years back, he was frequently scoring 50s but found it hard to reach 100. Now, he’s been doing the opposite,” Ponting observed.
“Nowadays, whenever he scores 50, he usually goes on to hit a big hundred. That’s been a significant change for him,” Ponting concluded.
