Catchin’ Sachin – Joe’s route to 15,921

In the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer played his first and only competitive singles match against Pete Sampras.

Pistol Pete was a seven-time champion at the All England Club. Federer, a 19-year-old with a terrible ponytail and no major titles to his name, stunned the GOAT in five sets. Sampras played one more Wimbledon and Federer would go on to outstrip the American with eight titles.

Sport is littered with torch-passing moments. Some obvious, others that reveal themselves in the fullness of time.

Nagpur, 2012. Joe Root, days shy of his 22nd birthday, was called into the England Test side for the first time. Facing a four-pronged India spin attack, he impressed batting in his brand new navy blue cap. Scores of 73 and 20 not out helped England to a draw that sealed a famous 2-1 series win.

In the India team was Sachin Tendulkar. It was the singular occasion he shared the same field with Root in international cricket. Tendulkar, 39 at the time, played just six more Tests and did not make another hundred. He retired a year later with an unfathomable 15,921 runs.

Unbeknown to anyone at the time, the long pursuit had begun. Root was catchin’ Sachin.

At Old Trafford on Friday, Root was back against India. Surely no other Yorkshireman has ever been so at home in Manchester? Root’s 38th Test century was as flawless as it was inevitable. Some 3,234 other men to have played Test cricket behind him. Only Tendulkar ahead.

Root began the fourth Test fifth on the all-time run-getters’ list. A score of 30 was needed to go past Rahul Dravid, 31 to edge ahead of Jacques Kallis.

It would have been a flex to take down two greats with one swish of the blade, yet that is not Root’s style. Each legend was given due respect. A single to pass Dravid, another to beat Kallis. Bowlers have contemplated heavy duty machinery to knock off either man. Root did it in the space of three deliveries and acknowledged the applause of the crowd with a bashful wave of his hand.

There is a Rootian rhythm to batting, and he kept the beat throughout with all the greatest hits. Iron-straight defence, dabs to third man and shuffles off the hips. Urgent scampering between the wickets. Sweeps and reverses. The occasional glorious straight drive.

If a century was what held most interest for Root, then the number 120 was what the Old Trafford crowd came for. Overhauling Ricky Ponting, the Australian run-machine. Someone call Sydney and tell them our man has more than yours.

A steer behind point for one more, Ponting pushed down to the bronze-medal position. Up went Old Trafford, much to the confusion of Root’s batting partner Ben Stokes, who did not appear to know what all the fuss what about. The Party Stand was still singing Root’s name when Anshul Kamboj trudged in to bowl the next delivery.

It was ended on 150 by Ravindra Jadeja, a man who made his debut in the same Test as Root. The gap to Tendulkar is 2,512.

Root’s list of records is already extensive: most Test runs for England, most Test hundreds for England, most matches as England captain, most wins as England captain, most catches by a fielder in Tests, most Test runs at Lord’s.

Now the unbreakable looks within reach.

Root is 34, not 35 until December. Yes, he is already a year older than Alastair Cook when England’s previous best run-getter called it quits in 2018, but Root is showing no signs of slowing down.

England’s schedule is mapped out until the end of the home summer in 2027, when Root would be 36 – still a perfectly passable age for a Test batter.

Between now and then, they have one more Test this summer against India. There are five this winter in Australia, then three each against New Zealand and Pakistan at home next year. The winter of 2026-27 is three in South Africa, two in Bangladesh and a special 150th anniversary match against the Aussies in Melbourne.

The following home summer comprises seven Tests, including an Ashes series. England could also reach the World Test Championship final. That makes a possible 26 in the next two years.

For the purpose of these calculations, we’ll use Root’s average runs per match, rather than runs per dismissal.

Across his 13-year, 157-Test career, Root is averaging 85.4 runs per match. At that rate, he would need 30 more Tests to get to Tendulkar. Deliciously, that would probably come in early 2028, on a tour of India.

But Root’s output is improving. Since the beginning of 2021, he has averaged 93 runs per Test across 60 matches.

And this is the kicker. Remember the reverse-scoop to Jasprit Bumrah in the third Test in India last year? The one that caused pelters to rain down from all angles? Since then, Root is averaging 101 runs in 19 matches.

If he goes at that rate for the next two years, Root would be bang on course to pass Tendulkar in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval in 2027. Just imagine a Root record and a 5-0 Ashes clean sweep. They would have to declare bank holiday week. Arise, Sir Joseph.

Professional sport is seldom so straightforward. Root has been blessed thus far. He has missed two Tests since making his debut and neither were for injuries. Broken fingers are a batters’ occupational hazard. Root has occasionally struggled with his back. None of us are getting any younger.

Right now, it feels more likely than not Root will complete the ultimate ascent. If he falls short, he will have to make do with the leading place in the lineage of England batting heroes.

WG Grace was the game’s first superstar, Jack Hobbs the first cricketer to be knighted. No England player has scored more runs in a single series than Wally Hammond, Denis Compton was the Brylcreem boy. Geoffrey Boycott has not played for 40 years and is still one of the most famous cricketers in the country, David Gower’s cover drive made grown men weep.

Graham Gooch is thought to have more runs in professional cricket than any other man, Kevin Pietersen emptied bars. Cook conquered Australia and India.

Now there is Root, with Tendulkar in his sights, albeit with another unticked achievement that would probably give him more satisfaction.

For all of the runs and records, Root has not made a hundred in Australia. Never past double figures in 14 Tests and three tours of trying.

In 2013-14, the young Root was dropped for the final Test, taken out of the firing line of the rampaging Mitchell Johnson. Four years later, he pushed himself so hard as captain in the Sydney heat he ended up on a drip in hospital. In 2021-22, he literally put his balls on the line in Adelaide.

It is the final itch for Root to scratch. It is hard to see how England return from Australia next January in possession of the urn unless Root performs. He will be acutely aware.

Runs down under and beyond are all part of the chase of Tendulkar. The Oval next week, to Australia and back again. Maybe on to Durban and Dhaka.

The baby born in Sheffield, who left hospital with a cardboard bat cut out by his father, hunting down the Little Master from Mumbai.

Catchin’ Sachin. Joe is on the route to 15,922.