Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes Joe Root has a strong chance of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record for the most Test runs. However, Karthik feels Virat Kohli reaching 100 international centuries will be a much tougher challenge. Root currently has 14,278 Test runs from 169 matches, leaving him 1,643 runs short of Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs.

The former England captain is only 35 and continues to score consistently in the longest format. Considering England’s packed Test schedule, Root could have enough opportunities to surpass Tendulkar in the coming years.

Root’s remarkable consistency further strengthens his chances. He scored 1,708 Test runs in 15 matches during 2021, a year that played a major role in his resurgence as a Test batter.

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Speaking on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik backed Root to break the iconic record. “Good chance,” he said, pointing out that England play a significant amount of Test cricket. Karthik also highlighted Root’s current form and his ability to score runs regularly.

The equation is far more difficult for Virat Kohli. The former India captain has 86 international centuries but has retired from both Test and T20I cricket, leaving ODIs as his only international format.

Karthik admitted that Kohli reaching 100 international hundreds would be difficult. Although Kohli needs only 14 more centuries, the limited number of ODIs remaining before the 2027 World Cup makes the target challenging.

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Based on his career scoring rate, Kohli could require around 110 more innings to reach 100 international centuries. Even considering his recent ODI record of a century roughly every 5.55 innings, he could still need around 78-83 innings for the next 14-15 hundreds. Kohli’s next opportunity will come in India’s ODI series against New Zealand, beginning November 4.