Australian great Ricky Ponting believes there is “absolutely no reason” why Joe Root cannot overtake Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, after the England star surpassed him to move into second place on the all-time list during Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
It was another landmark day for Root, who first overtook Rahul Dravid upon reaching 30 in the morning session, before moving ahead of Jacques Kallis with his next run. The Yorkshireman went on to notch his second century of the series, compiling a superb 150 in a record-laden innings. Upon reaching 120, Root overtook Ponting’s career tally to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history.
Although Root has moved into second position, it will take some time to topple Tendulkar, who is 2,512 runs ahead of the talismanic England batter.
“Congratulations, Joe Root,” said the former Australia captain in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports. “A magnificent moment in history. Second on the table. Just one more to go now. About two and a half thousand runs behind, but the way his career’s gone over the last four or five years, there’s absolutely no reason why he can’t be number one. You talk about the skill and class of player that Joe Root is, but you can’t ever underestimate the mental capacity side of things as well.”
At 34, Root has a realistic chance of surpassing Tendulkar, and he looks hungry for big runs.
“He still has that hunger and desire to continue finding ways to improve and get better. Trust me, that doesn’t get easier the older you get—finding ways to change your game and improve. But he’s made little technical changes to become a more complete and better Test match batsman,” Ponting added.
After his marathon innings, Root looked in slight discomfort as he walked off after his dismissal, but the team later confirmed at stumps that he was merely suffering from cramps.