Manchester : England’s modern-day batting maestro Joe Root may be inching closer to breaking one of cricket’s most revered records, but the former captain insists that surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s monumental Test run tally is not what drives him.
Root, 34, who scripted a masterful 150 off 248 balls against India in the ongoing fourth Test at Old Trafford, leapt past legends like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history. His current tally stands at 13,409 runs, leaving him just 2,512 short of Tendulkar’s iconic 15,921 a record long considered untouchable.
But Root, in his trademark humble tone, played down the significance of the milestone.
“It’s not something that I will focus on,” he told the BBC. “Those sorts of things should look after themselves. The focus has to be about winning games.”
Root made his Test debut in 2012, in Nagpur — a match that also featured the legendary Tendulkar, whom he grew up idolising.
“He made his Test debut before I was born. To be playing on the same ground as him and to get the chance to play against him was incredibly cool,” Root recalled. “Someone you grew up watching, admiring, trying to learn from… To be part of a series where he was still playing is something I’ll never forget.”
When asked about the thunderous standing ovation he received after surpassing Ponting’s career total, Root chuckled.
“I can’t avoid it. They [the numbers] are everywhere, aren’t they? But you try to put it out of your mind,” he said. “It is easy to get caught up in this stuff… You’re not doing your job if you’re concentrating on yourself.”
Root reiterated that personal accolades will only be truly appreciated in hindsight.
“It’s something that I’ll look back on at the end of my career rather than right now. It was a really cool day something I’ll try to take in and appreciate but there’s still so much important cricket left in this series and beyond.”
Since the start of 2024, Root has been in sublime form, averaging over 80 a staggering figure that, if sustained, could see him topple Tendulkar’s mark in as little as three years. Yet, he remains grounded, focusing on evolution rather than accolades.
Root spoke about how his mindset has changed over time:
“My attention to detail has remained the same, but what details I focus on has evolved. That’s been key to my growth as a batter.”
