Sachin Tendulkar praises Joe Root as Root closes in on his Test record
Root has 14,278 Test runs, 1,643 short of Tendulkar's record, and Tendulkar says he always expected Root to get there.
Key facts
Story- Joe Root has 14,278 Test runs in 169 matches, 1,643 short of Sachin Tendulkar's record
- Tendulkar said he knew Root would make it, recalling his potential at his 2012 debut
- Tendulkar also named his top non-Indian batters, including Root and Steve Smith
Sachin Tendulkar has praised England batter Joe Root as Root closes in on Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket. Speaking on 5 November 2026, Tendulkar said he had expected Root to reach this point.
Root has scored 14,278 runs in 169 Test matches and 309 innings. That leaves him 1,643 runs short of Tendulkar's record. Root is already second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers.
Tendulkar recalled Root's debut in 2012, when he saw the young batter's potential up close. "I knew he was going to make it," Tendulkar said. He added that Root has also gone past him in the number of Test half-centuries.
Tendulkar also named the non-Indian batters he rates most highly. Root and Australia's Steve Smith were on his list. He also proposed changes to one-day international cricket, arguing that the format needs a better balance between bat and ball.
Root's career has been long and consistent. Reaching 1,643 more runs would require many more innings at the top of the order. Have not said how long that might take.
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