Joe Root equals Tendulkar in huge Test feat [Source: AFP]In the first Test against Pakistan, England captain Joe Root smashed a gritty half-century to put his team into a commanding position. His fifty helped him equal an elite record previously achieved by legend Sachin Tendulkar.Root stepped into this Test series against Pakistan as captain after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket earlier this year. Filling in Stokes’ shoes wasn’t easy, but Root has always been immune to pressure.Joe Root matches Sachin Tendulkar’s featIn the first innings, England bowled out Pakistan for just 171 runs after Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue’s fifers. In reply, England lost openers Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay early. But captain Joe Root forged a 100+ runs partnership with Jordan Cox. The skipper hit his 68th Test half-century in 95 balls and scripted an elite record for himself. He matched legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record of hitting the most number of half-centuries in the history of Test cricket.Most Half-Centuries in Tests:68 – Sachin Tendulkar (India), Joe Root (England)66 – Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)63 – Allan Border (Australia), Rahul Dravid (India)Apart from this stellar record, Joe Root is also chasing a monumental record. He is behind Tendulkar in second place in the list of most Test runs scored. Sachin has held the top spot for decades now with 15921 runs. But Root is not far behind at 14166 runs. If he manages to break this record, Root will position himself as the greatest Test batter of this generation.Also Read - England Lose Two Key Players To Injury Amid Test Series vs PakistanJoe Root dominates the WTC Having said that, this was also Joe Root’s 24th half-century of his World Test Championship (WTC) career. He equalled Marnus Labuschagne’s record of hitting most fifties in WTC tournament history.Not only that, but Root also holds the record for most runs scored (6706) in WTC history. Needless to say, the England skipper is having a golden period in the Test format.Most Half-Centuries in WTC:24 – Marnus Labuschagne (Australia), Joe Root (England)22 – Babar Azam (Pakistan)21 – Steve Smith (Australia)20 – Zak Crawley (England)His form and consistency post-COVID pandemic era have been remarkable. At 35, he is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, England trusted him with the captaincy role again after Ben Stokes’ retirement. This shows how crucial Root is for England’s Test future.Root climbs up the ladder of most Test appearancesInterestingly, the Leeds Test against Pakistan was also Joe Root’s 167th appearance in the Test format. He surpassed Jacques Kallis to rank 4th in the list of players with most Tests played.Only Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar are above him in his elite list. With Root still an active player, he has the opportunity to move further up the chart.Meanwhile, Joe Root’s half-century helped England get the lead ahead of Pakistan in the Leeds Test. The hosts are comfortably sailing and are likely to pose a huge threat to Pakistan.Also Read - Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis’ Replacement Announced By Sri Lanka For 2nd Test vs India
