Ponting Backs Joe Root To Surpass Tendulkar's Test Cricket Runs Record

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England's Joe Root has a strong chance of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most runs in Test cricket.

Root recently crossed the 12,000-run mark in Test cricket, placing him seventh on the all-time list. He overtook West Indies legend Brian Lara and now has Ponting and Tendulkar's records in sight.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 15921 runs
2. Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 13378 runs
3. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) - 13289 runs
4. Rahul Dravid (India) - 13288 runs
5. Alastair Cook (England) - 12472 runs
6. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 12400 runs
7. Joe Root (England) - 12027 runs

Ponting discussed Root's potential to break the record on The ICC Review. "He could potentially do that. He is 33 years of age...(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends how many Test matches they play," Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan when asked if Root could overtake Tendulkar's massive tally of runs in Test cricket.

"But if they're playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year and if you're scoring 800 to 1000 runs a year, then that sort of says he's only three or four years off getting there. So that'll take him to 37. If his hunger's still there, then there's every chance that he could do it."

The England batter needs to surpass four more players before reaching Ponting’s tally of 13,378 runs and Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs. Root is currently trailing Ponting by 1,351 runs and Tendulkar by 3,894 runs as he heads into the ICC World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka.

Although the run tally might be achievable, Root still has a long way to go to match Tendulkar’s record of Test centuries. The Indian legend has scored 51 Test hundreds, while Root recently hit his 32nd century against the West Indies in Nottingham.

Ponting praised Root for his recent form and ability to convert good starts into big scores. "He is someone that in the last couple of years has got better and better," Ponting added. "There's always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he's certainly done that."

"It's been his conversion rates being the big thing. Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he's gone the other way recently. Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that's been the real turnaround for him."

Root is currently joint-11th on the list for most Test centuries. He needs at least another 19 centuries to break Tendulkar’s record but has shown remarkable improvement in converting fifties into hundreds recently.

If Root maintains his current form and hunger for runs, he stands a good chance of breaking these longstanding records within the next few years.