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New York Times
02-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Joe Root and the chances of breaking an unbreakable record
Much was made of Joe Root's chances of becoming the leading run-scorer in Test history when he went past Ricky Ponting in Manchester last week to go second on the all-time list. But there is another candidate to break one of cricket's most unbreakable records and, in time, go past Sachin Tendulkar's high of 15,921 runs at the highest level. Advertisement Yashasvi Jaiswal is 23, is currently playing in only his 24th Test and has made 2,209 runs, meaning he needs to score the small matter of… another 13,712 to go past his countryman. But there is a strong case to say Jaiswal is the only active Test cricketer with any hope of usurping both Tendulkar and Root, even though it will take him a long time to do so. Hyperbole? Well, Jaiswal will have to maintain his standards, fitness and hunger for both batting and scoring runs until he is something like 36 years old before he would get close. But he showed again on Saturday, the third day of the fifth and final Test against England, at the Oval in south London that he remains the brightest batting star in India's galaxy of young talents and could dominate on the world stage in all formats in the years to come. Jaiswal certainly had help in reaching his sixth Test century, and fourth against England, on a day when India took big strides towards squaring this compelling series. He was dropped three times en route to making 118 in India's second innings of 396, on 20, 40 and 110, as England did their best to throw away their hopes of their most significant series win under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum with six dropped catches in all. But there was plenty of the mix of orthodoxy and breathtaking innovation that saw Jaiswal announce himself to England last year with two double centuries on home soil as an opener who they have kept pretty quiet since his century in the first Test in Leeds found the perfect tempo on the most difficult pitch of the series. Jaiswal played positively but not recklessly and with great intent before he finally fell to one of the upper cuts he usually plays so well, this time finding Jamie Overton on the point boundary to become one of Josh Tongue's five victims. Advertisement He showed just how much it means and just how hungry he is, too, by becoming nervous in the 90s and agitated with his partner Karun Nair when he refused to come back for a third run, to complete his century, that would have been tight at best. No matter. Jaiswal reached three figures with a single next ball before running towards the India dressing room and blowing kisses at his team-mates on the balcony, also making a heart shape with his fingers to demonstrate his love for them and for Test cricket. 'I wanted to do more,' said Jaiswal afterwards. 'I wanted my innings to be bigger than that. But it was OK. I enjoy batting and I always want to bat as long as I can. There is a lot for me to learn, but I am proud of myself and all my team-mates for what we've done.' So, why is there no one else who could get close to Tendulkar? There have long been four batters considered head and shoulders above any other active players. The first of the big four, India's Virat Kohli, retired from Test cricket earlier this year at age 36 with 9,320 runs to his name. A second, Kane Williamson, can be ruled out because New Zealand simply do not play enough Test cricket to allow him, at just about to turn 35, to add enough runs to his tally of 9,276 and challenge Tendulkar. A third, Australia's Steve Smith, who has 10,477 Test runs and is 36, ruled himself out during a conversation with The Athletic this week when he said: 'I don't think I will get there. I'm just happy playing and contributing whenever I can. I'm not one for those personal milestones. As long as I'm still playing and playing well, I'll be happy.' Then there is Root, who really does have a chance of going past Tendulkar. Root is 34, batting as well as ever and has 13,438 Test runs after his century at Old Trafford, going into his final Test innings of the summer at the Oval some time tomorrow. He probably needs another two and a half years of consistent run-making to topple Tendulkar. Such is the game's modern calendar, where franchise competitions are challenging the primacy of international cricket like never before, only England, India and Australia play anything like enough Test cricket for their players to score a mountain of runs. There is nobody really in an ageing Australia side, other than Smith, who could even come close. Another Indian batter cannot be discounted, but even though Shubman Gill completed this series on Saturday with a mammoth 754 runs at 75.40, he has only a few hundred more than Jaiswal and is two years older. (And, whisper it, but despite his Bradmanesque run-scoring this summer, Gill has not shown enough in a 37-Test career to suggest he can be as consistently good as Jaiswal.) Advertisement There is the intriguing prospect of what Vaibhav Suryavanshi who, at just 14, became the youngest century-maker in the IPL this year, reaching three figures off just 35 balls, will do with his career. But as he has yet to play Test cricket, we should not really be mentioning him in the same breath as Tendulkar for now. Only from England can another candidate be found other than Root, with Harry Brook a possibility but he is, at 26, a year older than Gill and again has only a few hundred more runs than Jaiswal. He also has plenty on his hands as England's white-ball captain. If there is to be another 'big four', then Jaiswal will certainly be among them and, as an opener, will have every opportunity to make big runs in every Test he plays. He certainly played his part in India's dominant third-day performance on Saturday, which left England needing 374 to win this match and clinch the series 3-1. They looked like they would reach the close without loss to keep this compelling series very much alive until Mohammed Siraj conjured a dramatic end to another brilliant day of Test cricket when he bowled Zak Crawley with a yorker off what became the final ball of the day. England have pulled off chases like this against India before – successfully reaching 378 at Edgbaston in 2022 and 371 at Headingley at the start of this series. Can they do it again on a pitch still offering plenty of encouragement for the bowlers? India are firm favourites but it will be fascinating to see if England, a player short because of Chris Woakes' shoulder injury and resuming a man down at 50 for one, can come close tomorrow. For more cricket, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
Times of Oman
26-07-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
"He'll be driven to make it to number one": Pope on Root toppling Tendulkar as top run-getter in Tests
Manchester: England batter Ollie Pope felt Joe Root could go on to break the record of legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run getter in Test cricket after Root surpassed former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run scorer in the longest format. Root achieved this feat in the fourth Test at Old Trafford cricket ground on Friday. Root was removed by World No.1 all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. "I'm sure if his body allows, I'm sure he'll have the hunger to play. I'm not sure how many games he needs, the way he's batting. He'll obviously be driven to make it to number one, but I think he just wants to keep playing as long as he can. The excitement he still has to play Test cricket, whenever we rock up at the start of the series, he's always got the biggest smile on his face. So I think the hunger he has for it, I wouldn't be surprised if he can chase him down," Pope told the media. He also praised Root's 150-run innings and said it was exactly what England needed. "Knock like today, I think exactly what the team needed. Pretty flawless, didn't really give away any chances, and just played his game. And I think, yeah, the way he goes about his cricket, the way he trains, the amount of runs he's scoring now is just amazing. He's a joy to watch and see how he goes about his stuff. And yeah, obviously just keeps getting better and better," he added. Root continues to shine against India and surpassed Steve Smith's record on Friday for centuries against the Men in Blue. Root has now scored 12 centuries against India. Root now has nine Test hundreds against India at home - the most by any batter against an opponent in home Tests, surpassing former Australia legend Don Bradman's eight against England. Ollie Pope explained that England skipper Ben Stokes experienced cramping in his leg, likely due to the physical demands of the ongoing series. He noted the significant amount of bowling Stokes has done, suggesting he has pushed his body to its limits. "I think he's [Ben Stokes] just cramping down his leg, and I think it managed to spread to his whole leg from what I understand. I think it's probably just a build-up of the amount he's sort of pushed his body over the last four or five weeks. The amount he's bowled, I think, is something that it's the most he's bowled in the series so far. And obviously, we've still got a game to go. So I think he's obviously pushed himself to some serious limits so far," Pope said. Stokes completed 11000 runs in his international career across all formats in his outing against India and remained unbeaten on 77 at the end of Day 3 of the fourth Test. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs. Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session, went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. But Stokes (77*) came back to bat and, along with Liam Dawson (21*), kept any other possible disaster at bay. Stokes now has 11016 runs in 272 matches across all formats at an average of 35.88 with 18 hundreds and 61 fifties under his belt. Coming to the match, England started off their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on the exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six). They took England to 332/2 at the end of the first session, with both batsmen having scored their fifties. In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and went past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter. England ended the second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field; Bumrah contributed only one over with the new ball. Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7. Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ponting: Root can become all-time top Test runs scorer
Ricky Ponting insisted there is "absolutely no reason" why Joe Root cannot become Test cricket's all-time top run-scorer after he was leapfrogged to second on the list by the Englishman. It was another red-letter day for Root, who eclipsed Rahul Dravid by getting to 30 on the third morning of the fourth Rothesay Test against India before moving ahead of Jacques Kallis with one extra run. Better was to follow in the afternoon as Root moved serenely to a 38th Test hundred, joint fourth-highest alongside Kumar Sangakkara, and reaching 120 took him past Ponting's haul of 13,378 runs. Sachin Tendulkar is way out in front on 15,921 runs but Ponting believes the tally is not beyond reach, pointing out 34-year-old Root's incredible recent form, which includes 25 centuries since turning 30. Water is wet. Joe Root has a hundred. 🤝 @IGCom — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 "Congratulations Joe Root," the former Australia captain said in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports. "A magnificent moment in history. Second on the table. Just the one more to go now. "About two and a half thousand runs behind, but the way his career's gone over the last four or five years there's absolutely no reason why (he cannot be number one). "You talk about the skill and class of player that Joe Root is, but you can't ever underestimate the mental capacity side of things as well. "He still has that hunger and desire to continue to find ways to improve and get better. Trust me, that doesn't get easier the older you get. Find ways to change your game and improve. "But he's made little technical changes to make him a more complete and better Test match batsman." In the last year, Root has become England's most prolific run-scorer in Tests and ODIs, snatching the record from Sir Alastair Cook in the former last October and the latter from Eoin Morgan last month.
The Independent
25-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Ricky Ponting: ‘Absolutely no reason' why Joe Root can't be top Test run-scorer
Ricky Ponting insisted there is 'absolutely no reason' why Joe Root cannot become Test cricket's all-time top run-scorer after he was leapfrogged to second on the list by the Yorkshireman. It was another red-letter day for Root, who eclipsed Rahul Dravid by getting to 30 on the third morning of the fourth Rothesay Test against India before moving ahead of Jacques Kallis with one extra run. Better was to follow in the afternoon as Root moved serenely to a 38th Test hundred, joint fourth-highest alongside Kumar Sangakkara, and reaching 120 took him past Ponting's haul of 13,378 runs. Sachin Tendulkar is way out in front on 15,921 runs but Ponting believes the tally is not beyond reach, pointing out 34-year-old Root's incredible recent form, which includes 25 centuries since turning 30. 'Congratulations Joe Root,' the former Australia captain said in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports. 'A magnificent moment in history. Second on the table. Just the one more to go now. 'About two and a half thousand runs behind, but the way his career's gone over the last four or five years there's absolutely no reason why (he cannot be number one). 'You talk about the skill and class of player that Joe Root is, but you can't ever underestimate the mental capacity side of things as well. 'He still has that hunger and desire to continue to find ways to improve and get better. Trust me, that doesn't get easier the older you get. Find ways to change your game and improve. 'But he's made little technical changes to make him a more complete and better Test match batsman.' In the last year, Root has become England's most prolific run-scorer in Tests and ODIs, snatching the record from Sir Alastair Cook in the former last October and the latter from Eoin Morgan last month.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England's Joe Root up to second on all-time Test run-scorers list after century
Joe Root moved up to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers, going past three greats of the game in one fell swoop following a majestic century for England against India. Root overtook former India batter Rahul Dravid by reaching 30 on the third morning of the fourth Rothesay Test and adding another extra run saw him leapfrog ex-South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis. In getting to 120 moments before tea as England established a healthy first-innings lead at Emirates Old Trafford, Root overhauled former Australia captain Ricky Ponting's tally of 13,378 runs. Only the near-sacred haul of 15,921 runs made by India's celebrated Sachin Tendulkar remains for Root although no doubt uppermost in the 34-year-old's mind is rubberstamping England's dominance. He went to tea on 121 not out, with great mate Ben Stokes unbeaten at the other end on 36, out of England's 433 for four and a lead of 75 against an increasingly battered and bruised India. His 38th Test hundred put him joint fourth among the most prolific centurions in the format, equalling Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, as Root trod where England's top-three could not. As with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who laid excellent foundations for England with a 166-run opening stand in reply to India's 358, Ollie Pope could not turn fifty into a hundred, dismissed for 71. Both Pope and Harry Brook were dismissed by Washington Sundar, curiously overlooked until the 69th over, but the drift he was able to find delayed India taking the second new ball after a frustrating morning. Jasprit Bumrah gave a gift first up when he strayed on to Root's legs and was tucked away for four although the Yorkshireman survived a close lbw review on 21 and then should have been run out on 22. Ravindra Jadeja was off-target with his throw after a mid-pitch mix-up which left Root stranded. Aside from the one miscommunication, Root and Pope's frequent singles drove India to distraction. Root used them with nudges into the offside within the space of three deliveries to climb above Dravid and Kallis and then did so again to reach a 104th 50-plus Test score – only Tendulkar has more. By then, Pope had also got to his fifty, having been reprieved on 48 after offering the toughest of chances. Dhruv Jurel had come up to the stumps to combat Pope advancing down the wicket to Anshul Kamboj but a devilish under-edge did not stick in the substitute wicketkeeper's gloves. With India running out of ideas, Sundar was thrown the ball just before lunch and operated in tandem with fellow spinner Jadeja upon the resumption. It was Sundar who got the breakthrough, ending a 144-run stand as he found a bit of drift with a ball 76 overs old as Pope overbalanced and edged to slip. Brook was drawn out of his crease, again done in by the drift, and stumped for three as India stuck with the old ball, but Root, regarded as one of the world's best players of spin, was unflustered. By the time India took the new ball, England were in the lead and Root was in the 90s. There was the odd dicey moment, with Root struck on the pad by Mohammed Siraj on 98 and the ball crept by leg stump but Bumrah bowled just one over with the new ball before leaving the field, amid suspicions of an ankle injury. That left the gentler Kamboj to take over and a leg-side delivery was tickled fine for Root's 12th four and 178-ball hundred before he took in the applause and was congratulated by Stokes. With Siraj also limping, Root ticked over and moved level with Ponting with a back foot punch off Shardul Thakur and went ahead of him by advancing to Kamboj, opening his blade and guiding down behind point for one in the penultimate over before tea.
