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'Anything is possible': Sunil Gavaskar explains how Joe Root can break Sachin Tendulkar's 'insurmountable' Test record
Joe Root's blistering form in Test cricket has led to many speculating that he may break Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in the format.
Joe Root has become a prime candidate to break Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket thanks to his extraordinary form. He recently scored his 27th Test century and became just the second England player after Alastair Cook to score over 10,000 runs in the longest format of the game before that.
However, the 32-year-old remains a fair distance away from Tendulkar's record. The former India captain had retired with 15,921 in 200 Test matches while Root crossed 10,100 runs during his innings against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
India batting great Sunil Gavaskar, who was the first ever player to cross 10,000 Test runs, said that while anything is possible in cricket, Root will have to maintain this form for many more years to surpass Tendulkar.
"That is an insurmountable record because we are talking about another almost 6000 runs, which means you would have to score about 1000 runs or 800 runs over the next 8 years for you to get there," Gavaskar told India Today.
“Joe Root has got age on his side (31 years old). He certainly can (break the record) if he can maintain that enthusiasm and go on.”
Gavaskar gave the example of former England captain Alastair Cook, who was seen as the prime candidate to cross Tendulkar during his playing days. However, Cook retired from international cricket in 2023.
“Alastair Cook retired but he is still playing first class cricket. Sometimes, if you are playing around the clock, your form can also drop because there is mental tiredness that comes in. Root is scoring 150+ scores but it can take a toll on him, mentally and physically,” said Gavaskar
"Anything is possible in the game. We first thought Richard Hadlee's 431 wouldn't break, but that was overtaken. Then we thought of Courtney Walsh's 519... So, I mean look where we are going. (It is) not impossible, but very very difficult."
