Root and Tendulkar: Two great players and their motto that has enriched the sport
This article explores the potential for English cricketer Joe Root to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most runs in Test cricket history. It examines the roles of longevity, physical fitness, and mental motivation in sustaining elite athletic performance over long careers.
Why it matters
It highlights the evolving nature of sports records and the physical demands placed on modern athletes compared to previous generations.
Watching Sachin Tendulkar play his final Test innings in Mumbai, I turned to a friend and said confidently, “No one will ever break his aggregate record because no one can score 15,000-plus runs given the international schedule and franchise cricket, nor play 200 Tests.” Twelve years later, it appears I may have been wrong on one count, possibly both. One of Tendulkar’s contemporaries, England’s Joe Root, needs 1,644 runs to overtake him. He was younger than Tendulkar was at the 14,000-run mark.
Root turns 36 in December and might know that Tendulkar played 34 Tests after turning 37 (scoring 2,474 runs). Root will not need as many to overtake the Indian. An interesting catch-me-if-you-can is guaranteed between the greatest batters their respective countries have produced.
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