England batsman Joe Root will be hoping to knock some more legends down as the journey towards Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test aggregate gets slightly easier. In the fourth Test against England at Manchester, Root requires 120 runs more to surpass Australian great Ricky Ponting and become the second-highest scorer in whites only behind Tendulkar.
England’s Test Series Momentum Could Power Root’s Chase
With the series now in England’s hands at 2-1 and Root having compensated for patchy showings in the initial two Tests with a century in the third Test in Lord’s, the veteran would be looking to remain the complete run-machine for England. In three Tests till now, Root has aggregated 253 runs at 50.60, including a century and a half-century each. He is the eight-highest run-scorer till date, a bit disappointing considering his humongous standards this decade.
Manchester: Root’s Happy Hunting Ground
Root has an excellent record at Manchester, as the all-time leading run-scorer with 978 runs in 11 Tests and 19 innings at an average of 65.20, including a century and seven half-centuries. His highest score is 254.
The fashion-conscious batter is now the fifth-highest run-scorer of all time in Tests, with 13,259 runs in 156 Tests and 285 innings at a mean of 50.80, with 37 centuries and 66 fifties and a highest score of 262. Achieving 30 more runs will put him at fourth place, beating Indian legend Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs in 164 Tests), and 120 more runs will enable him to overtake South Africa’s Jacques Kallis (13,289 runs in 166 Tests) and Australia’s Ponting (13,378 runs in 168 matches) to rise to the second-highest Test run-getter of all time.
Sachin Tendulkar’s Record Still the Everest
Tendulkar is the record run-getter in Tests with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests and 329 innings at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries and 68 half-centuries to his credit. His highest score is 248*.
Will Root get above these greats and push to second position?
Squads for the Fourth Test: India vs England
India’s England series Test team: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England team for fourth Test v India: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
