Joe Root, England's No.4, a modern-day legend and arguably England's greatest ever Test batter, has made headlines quite a few times in the past few weeks. In England's ongoing series against India, the former English skipper has broken multiple batting records.
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Root recently became the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket, just behind the great Sachin Tendulkar. With 13,409 runs,1 Root surpassed former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting (13378 runs) to take up the second spot in the elite list.
However, Michael Clarke, the former Aussie captain believes that while the English batter might surpass Sachin Tendulkar in runs, he might not get the same respect as the Indian legend, who he believes has been the greatest of all.
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What did Michael Clarke say about Sachin Tendulkar vs Joe Root in Tests?
Joe Root has been the backbone of the English batting lineup for quite a few years. He has been the most integral batter for England, scoring the bulk of the runs even in the Bazball era.
In 40 tests since May 12, 2022, when Brendon McCullum took over as England's Test team coach, Root has amassed over 3500 runs at an average of nearly 58.
Michael Clarke has now shared his opinions about the English batter Joe Root. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Clarke said:
"Joe Root, wow, his record is phenomenal. I still can't believe he hasn't made a hundred in Australia. Goes past Ricky Ponting as the second-highest run-scorer now in Test cricket and sitting only behind the great Sachin Tendulkar."
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Root made his Test debut in 2012 against India in Nagpur and ever since, he has represented England in 157 Tests, scoring 13,409 runs at an average of 51.17. His red-ball career includes 38 centuries and 66 half-centuries, with a career-best score of 262.
Clarke believes Joe Root has technical flaws unlike Sachin Tendulkar
Clarke further praised India legend Sachin Tendulkar, calling him the best batter ever after Sir Donald Bradman.
The former Australian captain remarked that while Root might go past Tendulkar's record, he might not be able to match the stature and respect that the Indian has earned, who, according to Clarke, had no technical flaws.
"Let's assume he (Root) does go past Sachin...will he be respected the same as you know, Sachin Tendulkar, who in my mind is the best batsman I've ever played with or against...The thing about Sachin to me was that he didn't have a weakness. He didn't have a technical flaw. Joe's a wonderful player, but I don't know if I can say that about Joe Root that he hasn't got any technical flaws."
In a career that spanned 24 years, Tendulkar finished his career playing 200 Tests for India, scoring 15921 runs at an average of 54, including 51 centuries and 68 fifties.
With England trying to win the series at the Oval, Root's outings with the bat will again be crucial for the home side. In the four Test matches of the series so far, he has scored 403 runs in 7 innings at an average of 67.17, including two centuries.
How many more runs does Joe Root need to beat Sachin Tendulkar's Test record?
Joe Root's Test run tally currently stands at 13,409 runs, which is 2,512 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar's record. At 34, Root is expected to play for England for at least a few more years, which presents him with a great opportunity to break the Master Blaster's record.