Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sachin Tendulkar reacted to Joe Root becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Tests and potentially having a chance at breaking his stunning record. Tendulkar holds the world record with an impressive 15,921 runs from 200 Tests. However, with 13,543 runs, Root is just 2378 away from achieving the unbelievable milestone. During an Ask Me AnyThing (AMA) session on Reddit, Sachin was asked – ‘What was your first impression of Joe Root? Also, he has now crossed 13,000 Test runs and is second only to you, and he played his 1st match against you’. The legendary batter was gracious in his reply as he went on to praise the veteran England cricket team star.
“To have gone past 13000 runs is a remarkable achievement, and he’s still going strong. When I saw him for the first time in Nagpur in 2012 during his debut Test, I told my teammates that they were watching the future captain of England. What impressed me most was the way he was able to assess the wicket and how he rotated the strike. I knew at that very moment that he would be a big player,” Sachin replied.
Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara‘s retirement evoked admiration from legendary batter and ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar, who penned a special note to congratulate the “pillar of the team” for the contributions he made throughout his remarkable 15-year-long career.
Pujara, an old-fashioned batter who prioritised red-ball cricket, made his debut in October 2010. He represented India in 103 Tests and five ODIs before being axed from the setup in the last two years.
“Pujara, it was always reassuring to see you walk out at No.3. You brought calm, courage, and a deep love for Test cricket every time you played. Your solid technique, patience, and composure under pressure have been a pillar for the team,” Sachin wrote on X.
Among his several exploits, during which Pujara thrived on grinding down attacks and then feasting on them, the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy remains one of the prime highlights of his career. In his 1258-ball marathon, Pujara conjured 521 runs at 74.42, the most in the series.
He played the rescue act by notching his maiden Test ton in Australia when India was dwindling at 19/3 in the series opener. According to Sachin, India’s 2-1 BGT series triumph would have ceased to exist without Pujara.
“Out of many, the 2018 series win in Australia stands out, it wouldn’t have been possible without your incredible resilience and match-winning runs. Congratulations
on a wonderful career. Good luck for the next chapter. Enjoy your second innings!” Sachin concluded.
(With ANI inputs)