Cook expects Root to go ‘miles past’ his tally of runs in Test cricket.
Former England captain and the country's all-time leading run-scorer in Tests, Alastair Cook, in his playing days was backed by many to go past Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs scored in the longest format. However, Cook retired from international cricket at the age of 33, with 12,472 runs to his name, while the Indian batting legend had racked up 15,921 runs.
In recent times, Joe Root has been touted as the man who can break Tendulkar's record. On Sunday (June 05), the 31-year-old brought up his 26th century and also became the second batter from his nation and 14th overall to cross the 10000-run mark in Test cricket.
Cook believes Root will surpass him as England's leading run-getter in the traditional format and will score much more than he did since he does not expect the latter to retire at the age he did.
"He is a pleasure to watch, the most complete England batsman I have seen," said Cook on BBC.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said that while Kevin Pietersen could play incredible innings, the Yorkshire batter is the most complete English batter he has seen across formats.
“The person who could play the most incredible innings was Kevin Pietersen, but for the most complete batsmen in all three forms, it's Root. His consistency is incredible," he said.
Root's appearances in white-ball cricket have reduced in recent years as he has focused on Test cricket, where he is the captain. He was, however, a key member of England's 2019 World Cup-winning team, scoring 556 runs in 11 matches at an average of 61.78.
Cook says he first saw Root's prowess in India in December 2012, when the latter made his debut and he was the team's captain at the time.
"He was a very good player of spin, as good as anyone. He was ready to play international cricket. You knew he could handle the occasion. Barring injury, he'll go miles past my record," he stated.
"I would never have said I would finish at 33, but the time felt right for me. The mental strain I felt to score runs took a toll on me. I'm not saying it's easy for him, but he doesn't seem to have that problem."
"Barring injury, he'll go miles past my record," he added.
Joe Root is a considerably better-run scorer than he was at the start of an innings, according to Cook.
"He is so hard to tie down. I had to grind my way to 30, it always took me what felt like two hours. Because Joe has got so many low-risk scoring options, pretty much through 360 degrees, he will often get to 30 off 40 balls."
The second Test between England and New Zealand will be played at Trent Bridge from July 10.
(BBC INPUTS)