Ex-England's batting star Ian Bell has expressed his belief that Joe Root will be regarded as England's greatest batter in Test cricket, regardless of whether he leapfrogs Sachin Tendulkar's towering milestone of 15,921 runs. Bell heaped immense praise on Root in an exclusive interview during the Legends League Cricket event. Recently, Root surpassed Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, making him the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test history. As of now, the 33-year-old has accumulated 12,402 runs, placing him 3,519 runs behind Tendulkar's all-time record.
Ian Bell's ultimate praise for Joe Root
"Joe has played incredibly well over the past 12 months. I don't think he's overly focused on chasing records but is living in the moment. To even be in a conversation with someone like Sachin, a true great of the game, is an incredible achievement. Regardless of whether he breaks that record, Root will undoubtedly go down as England's greatest batter," Bell said.
Former England captain, Root, who is just 33-year-old, seems well positioned to surpass another 3,517 runs in the next four years, given his current trajectory. Unless faced with a major setback, such as a career-threatening injury or a significant dip in form like that of Virat Kohli, achieving this milestone should be within his reach. Earlier, England legend Michael Vaughan also feels that Root will surpass Tendulkar by the time he retires.
Meanwhile, Bell also highlighted Root's remarkable consistency and significant impact on the England's performance in the longest format. 42-year-old also namedropped Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook and attributed England's aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach to unlocking their full potential. Thanks to the deadly combination of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, this attacking mindset, Bazball, has paid dividend for the team over the years.
"The way they've unlocked the talent in this team has been remarkable. Players like Crawley and Pope aren't being asked to emulate the styles of former greats like Alastair Cook or Jonathan Trott. Instead, they're being encouraged to play to their strengths, and it's working well," Bell concluded.
Root has a busy schedule with ten upcoming Tests, i.e five against India at home and another five in Australia for the Ashes. These two series are poised to significantly impact his career in ways that are hard to predict.
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