Ponting Predicts Root Will Surpass Tendulkar’s Test Record
Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has backed England’s Joe Root to eventually break Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record for the most Test runs. Root, who recently climbed to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list, now stands just behind the Indian legend.
Root Rises to No. 2 in Test History
Joe Root scored a brilliant 150 in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford, helping England take a strong lead. That innings lifted Root past Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Rahul Dravid, pushing him into the No. 2 spot on the list of highest run scorers in Test cricket.
As of now, Root has scored over 13,400 runs in 157 Tests. Tendulkar holds the record with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests. Root is now fewer than 2,500 runs away from setting a new record, and at 33 years old, time and form appear to be on his side.
Support from the Cricketing World
Ponting called Root’s rise “a magnificent moment in history,” and other cricketers like Michael Vaughan and Ollie Pope have echoed similar optimism. Vaughan predicted Root could reach the top by 2027, while Pope described him as driven by a love for batting rather than records.
Match Context
Root’s innings came as England reached 544/7 by the end of Day 3, with a lead of 186 over India. Captain Ben Stokes remained unbeaten on 77, and England looks poised to wrap up the series, having already won the third Test.
