Joe Root produced a stellar performance, breaking Alastair Cook’s English record for most Test runs during Day 3 of the opening game against Pakistan.
Joe Root entered the history books by becoming England’s highest run-scorer in Test cricket on the third day of the opening Test against Pakistan. Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s previous record of 12,472 runs with a classy straight-driven boundary, pushing his total to 72 before Lunch and taking England to a brisk 232-2 in just 45 overs.
In Short
- Sunil Gavaskar slammed Vaughan’s remarks about Root potentially surpassing Sachin Tendulkar
- Vaughan had suggested that Root breaking Tendulkar’s record would add intrigue to Test cricket
- Gavaskar criticized the notion of “Indian bashing” and defended India’s commitment to Test cricket
Joe Root entered the list of top-5 highest run-getters on Wednesday, surpassing Alastair Cook
With this landmark, Root now stands fifth on the all-time list of Test run-scorers, trailing legends like Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid, and still eyeing the top spot held by Sachin Tendulkar at 15,921 runs.
Tendulkar’s record, once considered untouchable, is now a possibility for Root. The Indian great’s towering tally had long been viewed as an unscalable peak in cricket, but Root’s remarkable consistency, ability to churn out runs across all conditions, and relentless hunger have made this feat more achievable than ever before.
At just 33 years old, Root has time on his side and shows no signs of slowing down. And according to former England captain Michael Vaughan, Root can play well into his forties like the side’s legendary former pacer, James Anderson.
‘Can break Tendulkar’s record’
In a column for the Telegraph shortly after Root surpassed Cook, Vaughan claimed Root can break Tendulkar’s record if the batter maintains form and longevity.
“Joe’s love of the game means he will not be like Alastair Cook, who he overtakes into top spot. Cook retired six years ago, at almost exactly the same age – 33 – that Joe is now. But I see Joe going into his forties, like Anderson has. There is still plenty for him to tick off, including that missing hundred in Australia. But I watch him bat in Australia and do not see a major technical problem, he just has not cracked three figures yet,” Vaughan wrote.
“Root is already cricketing royalty and there is no doubt in my eyes that he has become England’s greatest batsman already. No one has played the different forms of the game better than him, and he has got the runs to show for it. If he plays as long as I am sure he will, he will overtake Sachin Tendulkar and be the leading Test run-scorer. More than just being a great player, he does it all with a smile on his face, and is simply the greatest example for young kids to follow,” stated Vaughan further.
The BCCI would do everything in its power to ensure an Indian player eventually reclaims the top spot:
The debate over Joe Root potentially surpassing Sachin Tendulkar has stirred excitement in the English media and among their players. Last week, former England captain Michael Vaughan cheekily suggested that Root breaking Tendulkar’s record would add intrigue to Test cricket, implying that the BCCI would do everything in its power to ensure an Indian player eventually reclaims the top spot. However, this remark did not sit well with Sunil Gavaskar, who sharply criticized what he sees as constant “Indian bashing.” In a fiery response, the legendary cricketer dismissed the notion that Indian cricket doesn’t prioritize Test cricket, calling it baseless.
“I can say with experience of more than 50 years that it’s not just the Indian crowds who are silent when their team is not doing well but crowds in every country. If there is some noise when, say, India is doing well overseas, it’s because of the number of Indian supporters who travel long distances from India and who cheer for them and not the locals.”
“So next time, when some commentator or media person from overseas tries to talk about the silence of the Indian crowd when India is not doing well, we should ask them why their supporters haven’t come to cheer for their team. This business of India bashing has to be countered with aggression because that’s the only language they understand.
“Recently, I heard someone saying it would be good for Test cricket if Joe Root overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs and centuries in Test match cricket. Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record and how, will Test cricket be better if (and that’s a huge if) an Englishman goes on to hold it. In what way will it be better? Kindly enlighten us,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar on Thursday.
Gavaskar signed off by saying one should wait and watch whether the 2025 World Test Championship final venue will be shifted from Lord’s or not. “The ICC just announced that the WTC final will be played at Lord’s next June. Well, we have heard the same declaration twice earlier, but as soon as it’s seen that England is not going to qualify for the final, the venue gets changed to Southampton or The Oval in London.