England batter Joe Root made history as he surpassed the legendary Ricky Ponting in the Test runs tally, and now trails only Sachin Tendulkar in the elite list of most Test runs in international cricket.
Root overtook Ponting’s total with his 38th Test century during the 4th Test against India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. During his stay at the crease, Root also became the first player to complete 1,000 Test runs at Old Trafford. He is now the third England batter to score 1,000-plus runs at two different venues, joining the ranks of Alastair Cook and Graham Gooch.
Also Read: England vs India 4th Test: "One Batter Short!" - Aakash Chopra Slams India’s Middle Order Strategy
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Ponting Reacts as Root Breaks His Record
Ricky Ponting, part of the Sky Sports broadcast team, reacted to the milestone as Root went past his record:
"If he keeps going on like this, that could very well happen today. It's a great day for batting, and what a remarkable career it's been for Joe. How he's transformed from someone who couldn't go on past fifty to hundreds. Now it seems like every time he gets to fifty, you just mark him down for a hundred, or a big hundred," Ponting told Sky Sports.
Ponting further praised Root's consistency, his impressive conversion rate, and current form:
"Just looking at some of the numbers, 38 Test match hundreds, 13,000 runs, what an amazing career to date," he added.
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“Can He Chase Down Sachin?”: Ponting Backs Root to Target All-Time Runs Record
The Hall of Famer also expressed support for Root’s continued success and posed the big question: Could he go on to break Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record? Root is currently less than 2,000 runs away from the legendary Indian’s mark.
"There's still a fair bit to go. What is he, 35? Doesn't look like his passion for the game is going anywhere. His run-scoring passion has probably gone up over the years. Can he chase down Sachin? Let's see. He might as well do that," Ponting concluded.
Stay tuned for more updates from the England vs India 4th Test.
