Former England spinner Monty Panesar has made a bold claim that Joe Root will surpass Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in test cricket. Indian legend Tendulkar is the all-time highest run-scorer in test cricket with 15,921 runs in 200 games.
Root is currently the second-highest run-scorer in test cricket with 13,543 runs in 158 games at an average of 51.29. The 34-year-old is 2,378 runs away from breaking Tendulkar’s record for most test runs. During the recently-concluded five-match test series against India, he leapfrogged Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become second-highest run-scorer in test cricket.
Root has been in exceptional form in test cricket since 2021. With more than 6000 runs, the England batter is the leading run-scorer in ICC World Test Championship (WTC) history. Since 2023, he has maintained a batting average of over 50 in test cricket.
Panesar shared his opinions on the possibility of Root surpassing Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in test cricket. Panesar feels that Root will break Tendulkar’s record and end up with 18,000 test runs in his career.
“He’ll break it, and he’ll go past it. I think he’ll end up scoring 18,000 test runs. Because he’s only 34, right? He’s 34, he’s got another 6 years. In 6 years, he’ll probably score another 4,000-5,000 Test runs,” he said.
“So, Tendulkar played until 40, so he’ll probably end up playing until 40. He’ll break that, and he’ll go past it. I think he’ll end up scoring 18,000 test runs,” he added.
