File photo of Joe Root© AFP
Trailing the five-match series 1-2, England defeated India in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hit centuries as England chased a down a record total of 378 to level the series 2-2. While Bairstow has been in top form of late, hitting tons in both innings, Root continued from where he left last year before the final Test was postponed. With four centuries and one fifty to his name, the former England skipper ended the series as the top-scorer with 737 runs. Former India batter Wasim Jaffer feels that if Root continues to play Test cricket at this level for the next five-six years, he might break Sachin Tendulkar’s record as the all-time highest run-getter in Test cricket.
“He can do it if he plays that long. He is only 31 years old. We all know that the career of English and Australian players isn’t long. But, if he plays another 5-6 years, I feel that he is capable of breaking the record,” Jaffer said during an interaction on ESPNcricinfo.
The 31-year-old is currently 12th in all-time scoring charts in Tests with 10,458 runs in 121 Tests.
Root had recently joined the 10,000-run club during the three-match series against New Zealand. He hit two centuries in that contest and followed it up with his second-innings ton at Edgbaston.
Promoted
Tendulkar, on the other hand, scored 15,921 Test runs during his 24-year long illustrious career.
England and India will now face each other for the three-match T20I series with the first game on Thursday at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
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