England batter Joe Root is on a record-breaking spree in Test cricket lately. During the recently held Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka, he overtook Sir Alastair Cook to become the most century maker for England in the longest format of the game.
Root’s twin hundreds at Lord’s have taken his Test tons tally to 34, putting him on par with Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardena, and Brian Lara.
The 34th hundred also took Root's career run tally to 12377, leaving him only 96 runs away from not only making it to the elusive top five in the all-time list but also surpassing Cook for the most-ever runs by an England batter in Test history.
Considering Joe Root’s prolific form in recent years, discussions have started about whether the England batter can break Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar's record of 15921 runs, the most ever by a batter in Test cricket.
Speaking on the same line, former England skipper Michael Vaughan said he is certain that it's only a matter of time before Root stands at the pinnacle of Test cricket unless something unfortunate happens.
However, he believes if such a thing happens, the BCCI will do everything possible in its power to ensure that the record is eventually awarded to an Indian.
"Yes," Vaughan said on Club Prairie Fire podcast when asked if Root will 'hunt down' Tendulkar's Test record. "I think it's three and a half thousand runs he trails by. He has at least three years. Unless his back snaps; he is the most enthusiastic lover of the game. I don't think he is going to get away. He is no longer the captain and knows his game better than ever before. I'll be amazed if he doesn't. He has played beautifully.
"Even if he goes on, I still think he will carry on. If Joe goes past Sachin, it will be the best thing that ever happens to cricket, because there's no way BCCI would want an England player at the top of the list. They'll want an Indian at the top so that will secure Test match cricket because it'll take forever for someone to get past him."
On the other hand, Australian great Adam Gilchrist refrained from passing a verdict and reserved his answer to after next year's Ashes.
"Don't know. Jesus. How old is he? 33? He's a youngster. I have no idea when his appetite is going to slow down. He is clearly pretty hungry at the moment. But does he have the desire to go on? He is going to phase himself out of white ball completely. Sorry, I will answer that question about Joe after the Ashes next year," he remarked.
