New Delhi. In the ‘impenetrable’ empire of Sachin Tendulkar, known as the God of Cricket, a master has finally entered who has started shaking the foundations of the greatest records. When England’s acting captain Joe Root took a run off Kiwi bowler Matt Henry at The Oval ground in London, a new chapter was added to the pages of history. Root has now become only the second batsman in the world to touch the mark of 14,000 runs in the history of Test cricket. For the last 16 years, Sachin Tendulkar was standing all alone on this Everest, but now Joe Root has made his presence felt just below this biggest fort.
When the England team was facing a difficult challenge against New Zealand at this historic ground in London, then Root needed only two runs to reach this historic milestone. He achieved this feat in the seventh over of the second innings of the match. However, in terms of speed, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is still ahead of Root. While Sachin achieved this milestone in his 279th innings (171st Test), Joe Root had to play 302 innings (165th Test) to reach here. But apart from this statistic, the real excitement has now started as to whether Joe Root will be able to touch the biggest pinnacle of Test cricket, which was once considered ‘impossible’?
Joe Root became the second batsman in the world to score 14 thousand runs in Test cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar touched the magical figure of 14 thousand in 2010
Sachin Tendulkar crossed the mark of 14,000 Test runs while playing against Australia in Bengaluru in 2010. From then till today, no batsman could come even close to this magical figure. Sachin ended his career with an all-time record of 15,921 runs in 329 innings of 200 Test matches. Now Joe Root is just 1,922 runs away from breaking this mega-record. Now the biggest question among cricket pundits and fans is that how much time will it take for Root to destroy this all-time record of Sachin?
Approximately 38 innings will be required
If we look at the game of statistics from the perspective of the story, then many interesting equations are formed based on Joe Root’s current career average and his current form. Root’s current test average is 50.72. If he continues scoring runs at this pace, he will need about 38 innings to break Sachin’s record. If we assume that he gets to play an average of two innings in each Test (including some not-out innings), then he will have to play about 19 more Test matches. At the rate at which England plays 10 to 12 Test matches a year, Joe Root can become the new king of Test cricket by the middle of 2028.
Cricket is a game of uncertainties
But cricket is a game of uncertainties, and Joe Root is now 35 years old. It is natural for there to be ups and downs in form with increasing age. In such a situation, his journey to reach Sachin’s record will completely depend on how his bat speaks in the coming times. If Joe Root goes through an unprecedented patch of his career and scores runs at an incredible average of 75 in the coming matches, he will need just 26 innings (approximately 13 Tests). On the basis of this very aggressive and excellent form, he will leave Sachin behind in just a year and a quarter (1.1 years). At the same time, if he continues his famous ‘peak form’ and scores runs at an average of 65, then 30 innings or 15 Test matches will be enough for him, in which he will take about one and a quarter years (1.25 years).
There is also an equation
Another equation says that if Root continues to score at a strong average of 58, he will need 34 innings i.e. 17 Test matches, which he will achieve in about one and a half years (1.4 years). According to his current career average (50.72), this journey is of 38 innings and 19 test matches, which will take him about 1.6 years to complete.
Then he will have to play 65 innings
On the other hand, if there is even a slight dip in his form at this stage of his age and he scores runs at an average of 45, then he will have to play 43 innings (22 Tests) and this journey will take about 1.8 years. If increasing age has a more severe impact on his game and his average drops to 38, then he will have to struggle for a long time of 51 innings (26 Tests), which may take two and a quarter years (2.2 years). Imagine the worst case scenario, where Root has to struggle seriously and his average remains just 30, even then he will not give up, but then he will have to play 65 innings (33 Tests) and it will take a long time of three and a quarter years (2.75 years) to break Sachin’s record.
This change was made after Covid
The changes Joe Root has made in his batting technique and mental approach after Covid-19 have made him the most stubborn and dangerous batsman in the world. When he comes to the wicket, getting him out is like a nightmare for the bowlers. Whether he breaks this record in a year and a quarter or in three years, one thing is completely clear that when Joe Root rests his bat forever, then he will not only be the closest rival of Sachin Tendulkar’s empire, but his name will also be written in golden letters at the top of the all-time list of the world’s greatest Test batsmen.
