Can Joe Root break Sachin Tendulkar's Test record?
Scores of 46 and 77 in the second Test saw the 35-year-old become only the second batter in Test history after Sachin Tendulkar to cross the 14,000-run mark.
And once again, the inevitable question emerged: when can Root surpass Tendulkar's seemingly untouchable tally of 15,921 Test runs?
For much of his career, Root wasn't even considered part of that discussion.
For context, Root required just 42 innings to score his previous 1,900 Test runs.
The Hail Mary move in the wake of the London nightclub scandal involving Ben Stokes has not gone according to plan for England. With Stokes sidelined amid an ongoing ECB investigation, Joe Root's return to the captaincy has coincided with a difficult phase for the team. Can Joe Root break Sachin Tendulkar's Test record? New Zealand bounced back impressively in the second Test at The Oval, forcing England into a do-or-die final match of the series. For Root, the situation feels eerily familiar. The leadership pressures that contributed to his decision to step down as captain in 2022 have resurfaced, at least temporarily. Yet while England's fortunes remain uncertain, the conversation around Root himself has taken a very different direction. Scores of 46 and 77 in the second Test saw the 35-year-old become only the second batter in Test history after Sachin Tendulkar to cross the 14,000-run mark. And once again, the inevitable question emerged: when can Root surpass Tendulkar's seemingly untouchable tally of 15,921 Test runs?
Root vs Sachin — Test Cricket Test Cricket · Career Stats Root vs Sachin All-time Greats 🏴 Joe Root Sachin Tendulkar 🇮🇳 14,075 Runs 15,921 165 Matches 200 50.81 Average 53.78 41 Centuries 51 67 Fifties 68 Runs comparison Centuries comparison
How Root changed the conversation from 'if' to 'when' When Tendulkar retired in 2013 with 15,921 runs from 200 Tests, the record appeared virtually unbreakable. Alastair Cook was initially viewed as the most likely challenger, but he retired more than 3,000 runs short. Virat Kohli and Steve Smith were later tipped to threaten the mark, yet Kohli retired from Tests with 9,230 runs, while Smith, now 37, has only recently crossed 10,000. For much of his career, Root wasn't even considered part of that discussion. Between 2012 and 2019, he scored 7,359 runs in 84 Tests at an average of 49.1, registering 14 centuries. Outstanding numbers, but not the profile of someone expected to chase down the greatest batting record in Test cricket. Everything changed after 2020.
Joe Root — The 2021 Transformation Joe Root · Test career analysis The 2021 transformation How Root's output changed across two phases of his Test career 2012–2020 · Early phase 7,823 runs 84 matches · 157 innings 49.1 average 87.6 runs per match 14 / 44 hundreds / fifties 2021 2021–2026 · Later phase 6,252 runs 68 matches · 125 innings 56.4 average +7.3 on early phase 91.9 runs per match +4.3 on early phase 24 / 17 hundreds / fifties 24 tons in 68 matches vs 14 in 84 After averaging 37.00 and 42.18 across 2019–20, Root posted 1,708 runs at 61.00 in 2021 — the highest single-season tally of his career. He has not averaged below 45 in a full season since. His century conversion rate nearly doubled: one hundred every 3.5 Tests in the later phase vs one every 6 Tests earlier. Year Runs Volume Avg Runs/match 100s / 50s Data: ESPN Cricinfo · Compiled by Hindustan Times
Following averages of 37.00 and 42.18 in 2019 and 2020 respectively, Root exploded in 2021, scoring 1,708 runs at 61.00 — the most prolific year of his career. More importantly, he sustained that level, averaging above 55 across the next four years. His conversion rate improved dramatically as well. In the latter phase of his career, he has scored 24 centuries in 68 Tests, compared to 14 hundreds in his first 84 matches. The result has been a remarkable increase not just in average, but in runs per match. Gradually, the debate stopped being about whether Root could challenge Tendulkar's record and became focused on when he might get there. When could Root overtake Tendulkar? Root's latest innings at The Oval took his career tally to 14,075 runs, leaving him 1,846 runs shy of Tendulkar's record. For context, Root required just 42 innings to score his previous 1,900 Test runs. That's roughly 25 Tests at a rate of 76 runs per match. England's upcoming schedule, however, is slightly lighter than previous cycles. After the final Test against New Zealand, England will host Pakistan for a three-Test series starting in August. That will be followed by a three-Test tour of South Africa later this year. In 2027, England are scheduled to play: Two Tests in Bangladesh, the one-off 150th Ashes anniversary Test in Australia in early March, a home Test against Bangladesh in late May, followed by a five-Test Ashes series against Australia That amounts to 16 confirmed Tests, potentially 17 if England qualify for the World Test Championship final.
England Test Schedule 2026–27 England men's Test cricket The road ahead Confirmed schedule · 2026–2027 2026 🇵🇰 Pakistan August · Home 3 Tests Home 🇿🇦 South Africa Late 2026 · Away 3 Tests Away 2027 🇧🇩 Bangladesh Early 2027 · Away 2 Tests Away 🇦🇺 Australia March 2027 · Away · 150th anniversary 1 Test Anniversary 🇧🇩 Bangladesh Late May 2027 · Home 1 Test Home 🇦🇺 Australia Summer 2027 · Home · The Ashes 5 Tests Home 16 confirmed Tests across two years — a lighter cycle than recent England schedules, with the home Ashes as the centrepiece of 2027. Compiled by Hindustan Times · Schedules subject to confirmation
