Joe Root (10191 runs) became the 14th player overall and second Englishman after Alastair Cook (12472 Test runs) to join the elite club of 10,000-plus runs in Test cricket.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Sachin Tendulkar (15921) holds the record of most Test runs
- Joe Root is the second Englishman to join 10000-plus runs club
- Gavaskar said playing around the clock can led to drop in form
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Joe Root breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most Test runs, but said that it is very difficult to break the “insurmountable” record.
Indian legend Tendulkar leads the chart with 15921 runs, followed by Ricky Ponting (13378 runs), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Rahul Dravid (13,288). With Root (10191 runs) recently going past the 10000-run mark, he is the nearest active player to challenge Tendulkar’s record.
“That is an insurmountable record because we are talking about another almost 6000 runs, which means you would have to score about 1000 runs or 800 runs over the next 8 years for you to get there,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“Joe Root has got age on his side (31 years old). He certainly can (break the record) if he can maintain that enthusiasm and go on.
“Alastair Cook retired but he is still playing first class cricket. Sometimes, if you are playing around the clock, your form can also drop because there is mental tiredness that comes in. Root is scoring 150+ scores but it can take a toll on him, mentally and physically.”
Gavaskar further said that “anything is possible” and cited the examples of New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee (431 Test wickets) and West Indies great Courtney Walsh’s (519 Test wickets) records.
“Anything is possible in the game. We first thought Richard Hadlee’s 431 wouldn’t break, but that was overtaken. Then we thought of Courtney Walsh’s 519… So, I mean look where we are going. (It is) not impossible, but very very difficult.”
Root became the 14th player overall and second Englishman after Cook (12472 Test runs) to join the elite club of 10000-plus runs.