England batting standout Joe Root has heaped praise on Sachin Tendulkar while addressing the intriguing question of whether anyone could eventually eclipse the Indian legend’s unmatched Test run total. Tendulkar, widely viewed as one of the greatest batsmen ever, still sits at the top of the all-time Test scoring list with 15,921 runs, a mark built across a remarkable international career that stretched from 1989 to 2013.
In comments picked up during an interview, Root—currently placed second among men’s Test run scorers with 13,943 runs—acknowledged that talk of surpassing Tendulkar’s record has become impossible to avoid. The England batter said the subject comes up so frequently that it can’t realistically be pushed to the side, even when he tries.
Root also underlined how much he admires Tendulkar’s longevity and the scale of what he achieved across formats. He pointed out the sheer historical weight of the comparison, noting that Tendulkar’s Test debut arrived before Root was even born, and that the longevity alone makes the feat extraordinary. Root further highlighted the volume of big scores, stressing that Tendulkar’s output wasn’t confined to Tests—he also finished with 49 centuries in ODI cricket.
While approaching one of cricket’s most iconic milestones himself, Root insisted that his day-to-day mindset is still centered on development rather than dwelling on numbers. He described a constant drive to refine his game, adding that his goal is to stay compact and technically well set so that, once the match begins, he can think about tactics and play according to what is in front of him. Root suggested that the approach sounds straightforward, but at the crease it comes down to simply focusing on playing the game rather than becoming distracted by technical worries.
With Tendulkar’s record still intact, Root is currently the leading active contender to challenge it in the longer format. His run-scoring consistency since 2020 has helped him move up to second on the all-time Test list, and he now sits 1,978 runs short of catching the historic benchmark.
