English batter Joe Root eyes Sachin Tendulkar’s untouchable Test throne

Sydney century powers Root closer to breaking cricket’s most revered Test records

England batter Joe Root has sent a strong message to the cricketing world with a masterful century in the Sydney Test, putting legendary records held by Sachin Tendulkar firmly in sight. In a series where England lost the Ashes, Root stood tall, underlining why he is considered the finest Test batter of this era.

Australia began the Sydney Test as clear favourites, especially after England’s top order failed yet again. At 51 for two, the visitors were under pressure when Root walked in. Showing calm, discipline and precision, he absorbed Australia’s tight bowling and constructed a match-saving innings under difficult conditions.

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Root reached a classic hundred off 146 balls, registering his second Test century on Australian soil. This was his 41st Test hundred, a milestone that helped him equal Ricky Ponting’s record and move into third place on the all-time list of most Test centuries.

The numbers behind Root’s dominance are staggering. Since 2020, he has scored 26 centuries across formats in just 173 innings, with 24 of those coming in Test cricket. No other batter in the world has even managed 20 Test hundreds in this period, including Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam or Travis Head.

Now 35, Root is in peak form and fitness. With 15,921 Test runs, Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in the format. Root needs just about 2,000 more runs to overtake him. He also trails Tendulkar’s 51 Test centuries by only 10 hundreds.

With at least two more active years expected in his career, the biggest question in world cricket is clear: can Joe Root dethrone the “God of Cricket” and become Test cricket’s new king?