Joe Root hit his first Test century in Australia, an unbeaten 138 in the Ashes 2025 Pink-Ball Test, silencing critics and edging closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time run record, sparking debate and anxious speculation among Indian cricket fans,
The former England captain and veteran batter Joe Root made headlines when he scored his first century on Australian soil in the Ashes 2025 Pink-Ball Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. The star batter had a disastrous start to his fourth Ashes series in Australia, dismissed cheaply in both innings, including a duck, in the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
However, Joe Root redeemed himself with a strong comeback in the Pink-Ball Test, where he recorded his first-ever international century on Australian soil and played a resilient, unbeaten innings of 138 off 206 balls, including 15 fours and a six, to guide the visitors to 334 in the first innings. In the last three Australia tours for the Ashes series, the veteran England batter had scored nine fifties but failed to convert those into a century.
After 12 long years, Joe Root finally broke the jinx and silenced critics who questioned his ability to score big in Australian conditions. Along with a century, the former England batter has also completed 1000 Test runs in Australia, marking another personal milestone that eluded him throughout his previous Ashes tours Down Under.
Joe Root’s Pursuit of ,Sachin Tendulkar’s, Record
Though Joe Root’s first century in Australia grabbed headlines, what became the major talking point was how his resurgence has inched him closer to Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test run tally. Tendulkar has amassed 15921 runs, including 51 centuries and 68 fifties, at an average of 53.78 in 200 Test matches.
With a 138-run innings in the Pink-Ball Test, Joe Root has taken the red-ball run tally to 13689 runs, including 40 centuries and 55 fifties, at an average of 51.46 in 161 matches. The difference between the two now stands at just 2,232 runs; the gap has narrowed rapidly, fueling debates about whether the England star will overtake Master Blaster’s all-time Test record, which has been untouched for a decade.
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At the start of the year, Root was the fifth leading run-getter with 12972 runs and was 2949 runs behind Sachin’s tally. In less than a year, the England star moved to the second spot in the leading Test run-scorers chart and has significantly reduced the gap, reigniting the conversations about whether he could realistically close on the former Indian batting legend’s all-time Test record.
Sachin Tendulkar’s 15921-run Test record looked unbreakable at the time of his retirement in 2013. However, Joe Root’s sustained run-scoring spree over the past few years has slowly chipped away at the once-insurmountable mark.
Indian Fans Keep Track of Joe Root’s Form
With Sachin Tendulkar’s Test run tally now within a conceivable striking distance, Indian cricket fans have begun to closely track Joe Root’s form in the ongoing Ashes 2025 series. After the England star batter was dismissed cheaply in both innings of the Perth opener, many breathed a sigh of relief, but his commanding century in Brisbane has once again highlighted the vigilance.
With his comeback in the Pink-Ball Test, Indian fans believed that it was the beginning of his resurgence, prompting renewed anxiety that he may steadily close the gap on Tendulkar’s once-untouchable record. Indian cricket fans have become more of a guard, treating every innings of Joe Root as a watchover duty, guarding Tendulkar’s legacy with heightened alertness.
Indian fans were quite worried about whether the Master Blaster’s iconic Test record might be finally challenged, as they hoped that Joe Root would fail in the remainder of his Test career to ensure that Sachin Tendulkar remains at the top.
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Sachin Tendulkar amassed 15921 Test runs in his career spanning 24 years, while Joe Root completed 10,000 runs in 10 years since making his red-ball debut for England in 2012 and has done at remarkable consistency, averaging over 50 across 161 Test matches, highlighting his potential to eventually challenge some of Tendulkar’s longstanding records.
Will Joe Root Become the New King of Test Cricket?
After the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar in 2013, only two players have managed to amass 10,000 runs i.e, Joe Root and Steve Smith, with the former England captain continuing to dominate at the crease and steadily closing in on Tendulkar’s record. Root’s consistency has been quite remarkable and has emerged as a serious contender to challenge Master Blaster’s Test run tally.
But will Joe Root go past Sachin Tendulkar’s record? The difference of 2232 runs between Root and Tendulkar remains significant, but he will need prolific years of consistent run-scoring form in order to have a realistic chance of overtaking the Indian batting legend’s iconic record. Since January 2023, the veteran England batter has amassed 3060 runs, including 12 centuries and 11 fifties, at an average of 60.00 in 33 matches.
This year, Joe Root has aggregated 717 runs, including 4 centuries and a fifty, at an average of 65.18 in 8 matches. This tally is likely to be increased as one innings is left to be played in the ongoing Pink-Ball Test, and two more Tests of the five-match Ashes series are scheduled to be played this year.
Next year, England will play six Test matches, including five Ashes matches at Sydney, followed by a two-match series against Bangladesh and three Tests against New Zealand, both away from home, providing Joe Root with ample opportunities to add to his tally and further narrow the gap on Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
Since Root is 34 years old and may have a few more years left in his international career, the veteran England batter has a realistic chance of shattering Sachin Tendulkar’s record on paper, as his current form and run-scoring rate put him on pace to challenge the iconic milestone.