New DelhiThe greatest achievement in Test cricket is being pursued by an England great. He has proven to be a serious threat to hold the record for the most runs in Test cricket.
In the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Root gained more ground on Sachin with a brilliant century. Root has now scored two hundreds in a single Ashes after not scoring much on his prior visits to Australia.
In the first innings of the Sydney Test, Root scored 160 runs, closing the gap between him and Tendulkar to less than 2000 runs in Test cricket for the first time.
Root had 13777 runs in 162 Test matches going into the fifth Test, trailing Tendulkar by 2144 runs. But his 160 in the first innings of the last Ashes Test has reduced the gap between him and Tendulkar to 1984 runs.
Is Root capable of doing it?Root is regarded as the greatest player to surpass Tendulkar's record, and his recent outstanding performance has made him the front-runner. He appears to have at least a few years left in him, as he turned 35 six days ago.
Based on Root's annual performance since 2021, the right-handed hitter consistently averages over 45. He scored the most runs in a single year during this period in 2021, scoring 1708 runs at an average of 61 in 29 innings.In 2024, he was also in excellent form, scoring 1556 runs in 31 innings.
Since 2021, Root's annual runs2021: 29 innings and 1708 runs
2022: 27 innings and 1098 runs
2023: 14 innings and 787 runs
2024: 31 innings with 1556 runs
2025: 18 innings and 805 runs
2026: One inning with 160 runs
How much time will it take Root to overcome Sachin?In 22 games, Root has scored his final 2000 Test runs. This suggests that he can defeat Tendulkar in the upcoming 22 Test matches.Right now, Root's test average is 51.23. He can surpass Tendulkar's record in the next 39 innings if he continues at this pace. Since January 2021, his average has improved to 56.09. Root can surpass Tendulkar in 35 more innings if he keeps up this average.
Note: If Root is removed in each of those innings, this estimate is computed. When a player stays in the game, averages rise.