Joe Root eyes all-time greats as he closes in on Test Cricket milestones

Joe Root smashed his 37th Test hundred at Lord's. (Photo: BCCI and ICC)

Joe Root is edging closer to etching his name even deeper into Test cricket history. As England prepare for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, the seasoned batter has a golden opportunity to surpass several legendary figures on the all-time runs chart.

Root needs just 120 runs to leapfrog Australian icon Ricky Ponting and move into second place among Test cricket's highest run-scorers, trailing only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. England lead the series 2-1, and Root comes into the match with renewed confidence after bouncing back from a quiet start to the series with a century at Lord’s in the third Test.

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In the current series, Root has accumulated 253 runs across three matches at an average of 50.60, which includes one century and a half-century. While he ranks eighth in terms of total runs this series—a notch below his typically high standards—his record at Old Trafford suggests he’s primed for another big score.

The 33-year-old boasts an outstanding record in Manchester, where he has scored 978 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 65.20. That tally includes seven fifties and a double-century, with his highest score at the venue being 254.

Overall, Root has amassed 13,259 runs from 156 Tests and 285 innings at an average of 50.80. His career includes 37 centuries and 66 fifties, with a personal best of 262. A solid outing in the fourth Test could see him overtake Rahul Dravid (13,288 runs), Jacques Kallis (13,289), and Ricky Ponting (13,378) in one swoop. Just 30 more runs will move him past Dravid into fourth place, and 120 would secure second on the all-time list.

At the top sits Sachin Tendulkar, whose monumental 15,921 runs in 200 Tests remain the gold standard. Tendulkar’s legendary career included 51 hundreds and 68 fifties, at an average of 53.78, with a best score of 248 not out.

With form, experience, and favourable conditions on his side, Root looks well-placed to continue his march toward cricketing immortality. The question now is not whether he can catch these greats, but how soon.