Joe Root is enjoying a purple patch with the bat after stepping down from England’s Test captaincy. He has already scored two centuries in the first two matches of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand. He has crossed the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket as he became the second English player after Alastair Cook to achieve the massive feat.
With age on his side, several former cricketers including Mark Taylor has touted Root to break Sachin Tendulkar’s massive record of most Test runs. The Master Blaster scored 15921 runs in 200 Test matches during his illustrious career.
“That is an insurmountable record because we are talking about another almost 6000 runs, which means you would have to score about 1000 runs or 800 runs over the next 8 years for you to get there,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on Root’s chances.
“Joe Root has got age on his side (31 years old). He certainly can (break the record) if he can maintain that enthusiasm and go on.”
However, he emphasized on how playing for so long can take a toll on any player and the mental tiredness might stop Root who has been consistently scoring well in recent times.
“Alastair Cook retired but he is still playing first class cricket. Sometimes, if you are playing around the clock, your form can also drop because there is mental tiredness that comes in. Root is scoring 150+ scores but it can take a toll on him, mentally and physically,” he added.
