IND vs ENG: Joe Root just 10 runs shy of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record in first Test against India

Joe Root will have his sights set on Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of most run in India vs England's Test matches when he will take field in the series opener against India on January 25.

Abhijeet Kumar Singh

• Wed • 24 Jan 2024

England's Joe Root (left) and India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar in this frame. (Getty)

Highlights:

Joe Root is on the verge of busting Sachin Tendulkar's record of most runs in India vs England Test matches.

Joe Root is just 10 runs behind breaking Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record.

Joe Root eyes Sachin Tendulkar's big record: Rohit Sharma's India and Ben Stokes-led England are gearing up for an eagerly awaited Test series which is set to begin from January 25. The five-match Test series will significantly influence both teams' positions in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.

India recently were dethroned from the top spot in the ICC rankings and dropped to second in the WTC standings following a 1-1 draw against South Africa earlier this month. England's last Test action was in the Ashes 2023, where they ended up with a disappointing 2-2 draw on home soil.

Meanwhile, the first Test against India will serve as a perfect opportunity for England's former skipper Joe Root to break the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's all-time. Root is apparently 10 runs shy of shattering Tendulkar's record for the highest individual runs in India versus England Test matches. For that matter Virat Kohli will also be seen chasing batting great's record in the five-match long series. However, Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests against England.

Notably, Tendulkar currently leads the list with 2,535 runs, while Root trailing by just nine runs.

In the Ashes 2023, Root amassed 412 runs across nine innings and has a notable track record in red-ball cricket on Indian soil. He has scored 952 runs in 20 Test innings in India, averaging an impressive 50.10, including two centuries and five half-centuries. Root also holds the distinction of having the most centuries in India versus England Test matches, with nine hundreds, surpassing Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Alastair Cook, and leading Kohli by four.

Kohli is also in contention to lead the run-scoring chart with five matches remaining in the series. He is just nine runs away from reaching 2,000 runs in Test matches against England and is currently the top run-scorer for India against England among active players.

Batters with most runs in India versus England Tests:

Sachin Tendulkar - 2535 runs in 53 innings
Joe Root - 2526 runs in 45 innings
Sunil Gavaskar - 2483 runs in 67 innings
Alastair Cook - 2431 runs in 54 innings
Virat Kohli - 1991 runs in 50 innings

England's playing XI for 1st Test: 1. Zak Crawley, 2. Ben Duckett, 3. Ollie Pope, 4. Joe Root, 5. Jonny Bairstow, 6. Ben Stokes (captain), 7. Ben Foakes, 8. Rehan Ahmed, 9. Tom Hartley, 10. Mark Wood, 11. Jack Leach

India's squad first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajat Patidar Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan