Former England spinner Monty Panesar has made a sweeping claim on Joe Root and has said that seasoned batter will go on to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs. Root has been in scintillating form in recent times as he’s already become the second-highest run scorer in the longest format. He went past Ricky Ponting’s tally of 13,378 runs during the fourth Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Can Joe Root go past Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record? Monty Panesar answers
Root has so far amassed 13,543 Test runs and is only 2,378 shy of Tendulkar's all-time record. Notably, former India captain sits on the top spot with most, 15,921 runs in Tests. But Root might end up busting Tendulkar's record, going by his recent batting exploits, especially in the just-concluded Test series against India.
"He'll break it, and he'll go past it. I think he'll end up scoring 18,000 test runs. Because he's only 34, right? He's 34, he's got another 6 years. In 6 years, he'll probably score another 4,000-5,000 Test runs. So, Tendulkar played until 40, so he'll probably end up playing until 40. He'll break that, and he'll go past it. I think he'll end up scoring 18,000 test runs,” Panesar told Hindustan Times.
Root, who ended the series against India as the second-highest run-scorer. The 34-year-old accumulated 537 runs across nine innings at an impressive average of 67.12 riding on three centuries. He was only behind India captain Shubman Gill, who finished the series with towering 754 runs at an astounding average of 75.4 .
The Lancashire-batter is in the form of his life and now has his sights firmly set on becoming the highest run-scorer in Test cricket. Root will next be seen in the Ashes series against Australia which is slated to start from November 21.Meanwhile, Panesar also commented on India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's fitness and went on to state that India can beat any side even without his services.
“I think it's good if he does play the overseas Test matches, and probably you don't need him for home Test matches. India can beat any team at home probably without him, but for overseas Tests, he is the X-factor. They can probably tell him that we no longer need you for home Tests. But for the away Tests, we definitely do,” Panesar further said.