Root scored an unbeaten 115 against New Zealand at the opening Test at Lord's.
With former England Test captain Joe Root achieving the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, the Fab Four debate has come to the forefront, with seniors expressing their opinions on which of the cricketers among Virat Kohli, Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson can top the Test batting charts.
Weighing in on the debate, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said the youngest of the lot, Root, to not just more likely to finish the race atop, but was also go near Sachin Tendulkar's historic tally.
With his 26th Test century that played a crucial role in winning the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand at Lord’s, Root became the second player from his country to achieve the feat after Sir Alastair Cook.
Root has amassed 10,015 runs in 118 Tests at an average of 49.57.
Former India skipper Kohli follows Root with 8043 runs from 101 Tests, while Smith stands at the third position with 8010 runs in 85 matches and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson at the fourth place with 7289 runs in 87 appearances.
Speaking to former cricketer Isa Guha on the ICC Review, Watson said that Root was the most likely of the Fab 4 to finish the run atop.
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“He’s as good as anyone to be able to get as close as he can. For sure, he’s got a lot of great cricket in front of him, so I think he is going to get very close. Just by seeing where Joe Root is right now, he is the youngest one with Kane Williamson, who is 31 as well. Those two have still got a fair way to go. I think Joe Root is going to finish on top. For the other guys, it depends on how much cricket they continue to play. They’ve still got a lot of cricket left in them," Watson said.
The 40-year-old former all-rounder further said, “Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, they can still churn out the runs for the next three to four years. You never know, they’ll get right up there with the all-time run-scorers as well. We’ve been very fortunate to have those four in world cricket over the last six to seven years. To see them at the peak of their powers is always special."
The most talked-about debate since Root reached the milestone has been whether he can cross or reach legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar’s mark.
Tendulkar ended his career with a staggering 15921 runs in 200 Tests while the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting ended with 13378 runs from 168 Tests.
“From a Test match point of view, he could play around 170-180 Test matches and if he gets around there, he’s going to be near Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar with the number of runs that he could score in that period of time," Watson said.
(Star Sports inputs)