Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar - (Source: AFP)
On Saturday, September 12, England concluded their 3-match Test series against Pakistan with a win at Edgbaston Stadium. The Joe Root-led side handed the visitors an 8-wicket defeat and clinched the series 3-0.
Out of the three Tests, the dead rubber clash in Birmingham turned out to be the most exciting fixture as England were almost on the brink of a defeat. Before the start of Day 4, England required 130 runs to win. However, things turned dramatic when Mohammad Abbas took two wickets in the first over of the day.
Joe Root Shatters Sachin Tendulkar’s Record As He Saves England
England were 2/2 and required 128 more runs to win with eight wickets in hand. Pakistan were truly back in the game, but skipper Joe Root took the responsibility and stitched an unbeaten 128-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
Root scored an unbeaten 62 (69), which featured eight fours. It was England captain’s 69th fifty in Test cricket. With that feat, he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most fifties in red-ball cricket.
Despite shattering the master blaster’s feat, there are several records that the England captain is yet to break, and this article will shed light on that.
1) Most Runs in Test Cricket
After the England vs Pakistan Test series, Joe Root has 14278 runs in 309 innings. The right-handed batter has reduced the gap with Sachin, but still the Master Blaster hold the record for most runs in Test cricket.
Joe Root is still 1643 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar. Here is the list of the most runs in Test cricket.
Most runs in Test cricket
- 15,921 - Sachin Tendulkar
- 14,278 - Joe Root
- 13,378 - Ricky Ponting
- 13,289 - Jacques Kallis
- 13,288 - Rahul Dravid
- 12,472 - Alastair Cook
2) Most hundreds in Test Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar also holds the record for most Test hundreds. The Master Blaster has 51 Test Hundreds in 200 Tests. Joe Root is fourth on the list with 41 Test centuries. The England captain still needs 11 centuries to shatter Master Blaster’s record.
Most centuries in Test cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar - 51
- Jacques Kallis - 45
- Ricky Ponting - 41
- Joe Root - 41
- Kumar Sangakkara - 38
3) Most matches and innings in Tests
Sachin Tendulkar also holds the record for most appearances. The Master Blaster played 200 Tests and 329 innings in red-ball cricket. Joe Root has played 169 Tests, the 3rd most in history. He is still 31 Tests away from equalling Sachin’s record.
Also Read: Joe Root’s Struggles Against Pace: What Has Gone Wrong?
List of Most Appearances In Test Cricket
- Sachin Tendulkar - 200
- James Anderson - 188
- Joe Root - 169
- Ricky Ponting - 168
- Steve Waugh - 168
4) Most Test runs away from home
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test runs away from home, scoring 8,705 runs in away/neutral matches. Joe Root is 3rd on the list with 6614 runs
Top Away Test Run Scorers
- Sachin Tendulkar (India): 8,705 runs
- Rahul Dravid (India): 7,690 runs
- Joe Root (England): 6,614 runs
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 6,254 runs
- Alastair Cook (England): 5,904 runs
5) Most Test hundreds away from home
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for most Test centuries away from home. The master blaster scored 29 centuries away from India, while Joe Root has just 17 centuries outside England.
Top Batters with Most Away Test Hundreds
- Sachin Tendulkar (India): 29 centuries
- Rahul Dravid (India): 21 centuries
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 20 centuries
- Sunil Gavaskar (India): 18 centuries
- Brian Lara (West Indies): 17 centuries
- Joe Root (England): 17 centuries
Also Read: After Sachin Tendulkar, Joe Root Breaks Virat Kohli's Massive WTC Record
