England batting maestro Joe Root has paid glowing tribute to Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar while speaking about the possibility of surpassing the legendary batter’s all-time Test run record in the future.Widely regarded as one of the greatest batters in cricket history, Sachin Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in Test cricket with a staggering 15,921 runs to his name. The Indian legend achieved the milestone during an extraordinary international career that spanned 24 years from 1989 to 2013.Speaking to The Athletic, Joe Root who is currently second in the all time leading run-scorer with 13,943 runs in tests admitted that conversations around breaking Tendulkar’s record have become impossible to ignore.“Well, I get asked it enough times now that I can’t really ignore it even if I try to,” Root said.The former England captain expressed immense admiration for Tendulkar’s incredible longevity and achievements across formats.“It’s remarkable what Sachin Tendulkar achieved in the game. You have to believe me when I say that to even be in the conversation with him is enough for me. The guy made his Test debut before I was born and played in my Test debut! His longevity in itself is remarkable and then you look at the runs he got in Test cricket… but not only that, he’s got 49 ODI hundreds, too,” he added. Despite nearing one of cricket’s most iconic milestones, Root insisted that his focus remains on constant improvement rather than statistical achievements.“I’m always looking to evolve, to try and add things to my batting.”“To make sure that I feel as compact and as technically sound as I can be so that when the actual games come around I can think tactically and play what’s right in front of me rather than worrying about technical stuff or anything else out in the middle. It sounds so simple but when I’m at the crease, I just want to be playing the game,” he concluded. Among active cricketers, Joe Root is currently the strongest contender to challenge that monumental record. Root’s sensational consistency in the longest format, especially since 2020, has propelled him to second place on the all-time Test run charts. The England star is presently just 1,978 runs away from overtaking Tendulkar’s historic tally.
