Joe Root's 12k to 14k Journey: How Long Will He Take To Break Sachin Tendulkar’s Record?

Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar - (Source: AFP)

On Saturday, England’s stand-in captain Joe Root scripted history as the 35-year-old became the 2nd player after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 14000 Test runs. With that feat, the England talisman closed the gap with the Master Blaster for most runs in red-ball cricket.

Notably, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most Test runs (15921). At present, the England star batter has 14000 runs and is less than 2000 runs away from becoming the leading run-getter in Tests. Now the question is whether Root will be able break Sachin’s feat and how many innings and time he might actually need to go past the Master Blaster.

(Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar's Test Stats)

How Long Will Joe Root Take To Break Sachin Tendulkar's Record Of Most Test Runs

Scenario 1: Ideal Situation

Since Joe Root is just 2000 runs away from breaking Sachin’s record, let’s look at his journey from 12000 Test runs to 14000 Test runs. The 35-year-old reached the 12k mark in Tests in his 261st Test innings. 

Further, Root completed 14000 Test runs in the 302nd innings. Hence, he took 41 innings to score 2000 Test runs. Therefore, in an ideal situation, Root should take another 40-42 innings to breach Tendulkar’s record.

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Going by the ideal situation, Joe Root averages 50.98, and to score the next 2000 Test runs, he would take exactly 40 innings. On average, England plays around 10-12 matches every year, which means 20-24 innings. They will also play 6 Tests by the end of 2026, which means 12 innings there.

Hence, going by the ideal situation, Root should break Sachin Tendulkar’s record by mid of 2028. Most probably, Root will be 37 years old when he goes past Tendulkar.

(Innings Required In Ideal Situation)

Scenario 2: In Prime Form

Root’s best year with the bat came in 2023 when he averaged 65 with the bat. That year, Root scored 787 runs in 14 innings and scored 2 centuries, 5 fifty-plus scores. So, if we assume that Root will stay in his prime for the next two years, then, going by an average of 65, Root should take just 30 innings to go past India star’s record.

In case Root takes 30 innings, then one should expect him to go past Sachin Tendulkar’s record by the end of 2027, probably in the month of December.

(Innings Required In Prime Form)

Scenario 3: A Dip In Form

Now, if we see, Root’s worst phase in Test cricket. Then, 2019 was Root’s worst year with the bat. The 35-year-old averaged just 37.00. If the 35-year-old suffers a dip in form, then even in his worst, he will take 54 innings.

In that scenario, he will take a good 2-3 years, which seems unlikely because he will be 38 by then and ECB would look for a replacement because of his form or the batter himself might announce England retirement.

(Innings Required In Dip In Form)

Conclusion

Root is very likely to break Sachin Tendulkar's record. He is fit and just 35. It is expected for him to play 2-3 years, which is the required amount of time for him to go past Sachin Tendullkar, as the form and record also suggests.

However, the only situation in which the task seems impossible is if he has a long spell of runs not coming from the bat. In that scenario, if his average falls below 40, then the Master Blaster has a chance that his record remains intact.

Another scenario is injury ruins his master plan. It is quite comman for players in their wrong end of 30s to miss games due to physical blows. However, it is quite interesting that Joe Root has never missed any Test match for England due to injury.

He has had his injuries like a blow to little finger in February 2024, but that didn't stop him from playing a match.

Also Read: Joe Root Recreates Sachin Tendulkar's Iconic Record In Test Cricket