Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that England’s star batter Joe Root could break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs in the upcoming years as well. Root overtook West Indian legend Brian Lara’s run tally in the recent home series against the West Indies to become the seventh-highest run-scorer in Tests with 12,027 runs. Meanwhile, Tendulkar leads the way with an incredible 15,921 runs in
200 Tests as well. Ponting is second on the list with 13,378 runs, followed by Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, Alastair Cook, and Kumar Sangakkara as well.

On this, Ricky Ponting said in an interview with the ICC: “He (Joe Root) could potentially do that. He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends how many Test matches they play, but if they’re playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year and if you’re scoring 800 to 1000 runs a year, then that sort of says he’s only three or four years off getting there. So that’ll take him to 37 (years of age). If his hunger’s still there, then there’s every chance that he could do it.”

Currently ranked No.1 among Test batters, Joe Root also smashed 32 centuries in the longest format, 19 behind the record holder Sachin
Tendulkar with 51 as well. The champion batter has been in sublime form, with scores of 122 and 87 in his last two Test innings against the West Indies. Ricky Ponting lauded Joe Root for consistently evolving and getting better as well.

“He is someone that in the last couple of years has got better and better. There’s always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he’s certainly done that,” concluded Ricky Ponting. “It’s been his conversion rates being the big thing. Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he’s gone the other way recently. Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that’s been the real turnaround for him.”