October 22, 2024: Alastair Cook, the former England captain, has expressed optimism about Joe Root’s potential to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s monumental record of 15,921 Test runs.
Root, who recently overtook Cook to become England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer with 12,716 runs, now sits just 3,206 runs behind Tendulkar’s legendary mark.
During a round-table interview hosted by the ICC, Cook shared that after witnessing Root surpass his own record, he struggled to find the right words to congratulate his former teammate via text. Instead, Cook opted for a phone call, ensuring Root had a celebratory beer in hand. Cook, impressed by Root’s achievements, believes his former colleague has the potential to set an almost unbreakable record for future English batters.
Root, who still has several players to surpass before challenging Tendulkar’s record, remains one of the most consistent batters in Test cricket. With plenty of time left in his career, Cook is hopeful that Root could become the first player to cross the 16,000-run mark in Test history, a feat that would be “a great achievement” in the sport.
“I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on an English side, that’ll be very hard to beat. But you just never know. I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person who scores 16,000 Test runs. It’d be a great achievement,” Cook added.
As Root gears up for the third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, the cricketing world eagerly watches to see how close he can come to achieving the seemingly untouchable milestone.
