Former India head coach Ravi Shastri gave a surprising reaction during live commentary after a statistical prediction suggested a 60.28% chance of Joe Root breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record. The moment occurred on Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, Manchester, where Root remained unbeaten on 11, taking his career tally to 13,270 runs in 157 Tests.
Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most runs in Test cricket, with 15,921 runs. Root, currently fifth on the all-time list, is now just 109 runs behind Ricky Ponting (13,378), who is third. The stat was revealed by former England captain Michael Atherton during the commentary, catching many—including Shastri—off guard.
“Benedict (Sky Sports statistician) reliably informed me that he’s got a 60.28% chance of beating Sachin Tendulkar. I don’tknow how he worked that out,” said Atherton.
Shastri quickly responded, “I tell you that it won’t be music to the ears of the Indians. It’s just coming about to bedtime in India, and you’ve given us a stat—60.28.”
Root still needs 2,651 more runs to go past Tendulkar’s total, but Shastri noted that Root’s age and longevity could work in his favour.
“Look at his age. Look at the number of matches… and what will separate him and Tendulkar will be around 3,000 runs… he has age on his side,” Shastri added.
Atherton joked, “He’ll be cursed. Millions of homes around Mumbai right now.”
He also remarked that if Root does break the record, it might never be broken again, due to the changing nature of modern cricket and the dominance of limited-overs formats.
Shastri agreed, saying, “But that’s what’s going to drive him… the three formats of the game.”
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