Ricky Ponting Predicts This Player Can Break Sachin Tendulkar’s Record Of Most Runs In Test Cricket

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that England’s Joe Root has the potential to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in Test cricket, provided he remains “hungry” and maintains his current form for the next few years.

Root recently joined an elite group of cricketers by crossing the 12,000-run milestone in Test cricket during the Edgbaston Test against the West Indies. With 12,027 runs in 143 Tests, averaging 50.11 and boasting 32 centuries and 63 fifties, Root now ranks as the seventh-highest run-scorer in Test history. He is poised to overtake Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (12,400 runs) and England’s Alastair Cook (12,472 runs) in the near future.

Tendulkar leads the all-time list with 15,921 runs from 200 Tests, while Ponting holds the second spot with 13,378 runs from 168 Tests. Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting said, “He (Root) could potentially do that. He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. If he continues to score 800 to 1,000 runs annually, he could reach the mark within four years, taking him to 37.”

Ponting stressed that Root’s continued hunger for runs will be crucial, noting that the England batter has shown significant improvement in recent years. “There’s always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s, and he’s certainly done that. His conversion rates have improved significantly—now, when he reaches 50, he often goes on to score big hundreds,” Ponting added.