Joe Root went past Ricky Ponting to move into second position on Test cricket's all-time leading run scorers chart in the afternoon session of the Old Trafford Test today (July 25), with only Sachin Tendulkar left to overhaul. Here's when he could go past India maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
The England all-time great overtook three names on the list on day three in Manchester, having started the morning in fifth position and moved up to second by tea. He also registered his 38th Test century, and anchored England's innings as they built a lead against India. On the stroke of tea, Root moved past Ponting, pushing the former-Australia captain down into third, and went into the break unbeaten on 121.
The only person Root now has ahead of him is Sachin Tendulkar, raising the question of when he could go past what has previously looked like an unassailable record.
Most Test runs, full list: Root moves into second place in Manchester
| Player | Team | Span | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | 100s |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 1989-2013 | 200 | 15,921 | 248* | 53.78 | 51 |
| Joe Root | England | 2012-2025* | 157 | 13,380 | 262 | 51.25 | 38 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 168 | 13,378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 1995-2013 | 166 | 13,289 | 224 | 55.31 | 45 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 1996-2012 | 164 | 13,288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 2006-2018 | 161 | 12,472 | 294 | 45.35 | 33 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2000-2015 | 134 | 12,400 | 319 | 57.40 | 38 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 1990-2006 | 131 | 11,953 | 400* | 52.88 | 34 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 1994-2015 | 164 | 11,867 | 203* | 51.37 | 30 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 1997-2014 | 149 | 11,814 | 374 | 49.84 | 34 |
*All stats accurate as of the end of the second session on day three of the Old Trafford Test, July 25, 2025
While Root was able to knock three all-time greats down a position within the space of two sessions, he has a way to go to reel in Tendulkar. The India great scored 15,921 runs across his 24-year career, with Root reaching 13,380 before Tea in Manchester. That means he has around a 2,500 gap to close if he is to take Tendulkar's top spot.
When could Root overtake Tendulkar?
Root is now 34 years old, and will celebrate his 35th birthday during the Ashes at the end of this year. While he has never previously given an indication of considering retirement from the format, and still plays ODIs for England as part of their new set-up under Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum, it's probably safe to say he is in the final few years of his international career.
The former England captain has been by far the best Test batter in the world over the last few years. Since the beginning of 2021, he has scored 5,561 runs, with the next highest scorer on the list – Steve Smith – having scored 3,240. While Root has also played significantly more matches in that time (60) than any of his rivals, his average in that period stands at 56.74, with 21 centuries compared to the next most, 10. If you reduce the time criteria to the start of the last England international summer, Root's average shoots up to 65.92.
Simply, that Root is so prolific increases his chances of catching Tendulkar, and if he continues to be as free-scoring, he won't need an unachievable number of Tests to do it.
England's next assignment after the series against India will be the Ashes Down Under – the only country he's played more than three Tests in where he hasn't scored a hundred. After that, the English summer will see three Tests played against New Zealand and three against Pakistan before the side travels to South Africa and Bangladesh for three and two Tests respectively. By the end of the 2026/27 winter, the maximum number of Tests Root will play will be 16. Allowing for two innings in each game and allowing a conservative (by his standards over the last few years) average of 50 would give Root roughly another 1,600 runs. That would leave him still around 1,000 short of Tendulkar's record.
On his side is the number of Tests England play – more than any other side in the world. The 2027 home summer will see another five-Test Ashes series played, with the possibility of a WTC Final appearance in addition to that, as well as any other series or one off match arranged. With all of those in consideration, and Root's current rate of run-scoring, it's likely that he will pass Tendulkar's tally in the 2027-28 winter if he hasn't retired by that point.
That means that Tendulkar likely has another two-and-a-half years nailed in at the top.
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