"Millions Of Mumbai Homes...": Joe Root's Stat Challenging Sachin Tendulkar Prompts 'Cursed' Talk
Ravi Shastri admitted that Joe Root has a strong chance of surpassing the great Sachin Tendulkar. But, a fellow commentator said that there would be many who would 'curse' Root upon hearing the stat.
- Joe Root is 2651 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket run tally
- Root has played 157 Tests and has both time and form in his favour in the chase of the big record
- Ravi Shastri predicts Root will exceed Tendulkar by around 3000 runs by the time he hangs up his boots
England superstar Joe Root has time, form, and even pitch conditions on his side as he looks to surpass the great Sachin Tendulkar in the list of batters with the most number of runs in Test cricket. Sitting 2651 runs short of Tendulkar's tally at present, Root finds himself in a great position to take the No. 1 Test batter crown from the Indian cricket icon. In fact, former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels Root will be about 3000 runs ahead of the Master Blaster.
"Look at his age. Look at the number of matches. He's played 157. So you would imagine he would go past three ahead of him in almost three Test matches. And then he's got about 40 Test matches. Sachin has played 200 Tests. Root has played 160. He's still young. He has four years of cricket ahead of him. And what will separate him and Tendulkar will be around 3,000 runs. When you're hot, you're hot, and in the meantime, he has age on his side," he said during Day 2 of the Manchester Test.
As cricket becomes a game of analytics and statistics, former England captain Michael Atherton told Shastri that the Sky Sports statistician Benedict Bermange informed him of Joe Root's 60.28% chance of surpassing Tendulkar, the former India coach said that his countrymen wouldn't be happy.
"Benedict reliably informed me that he's got a 60.28% chance of beating Sachin Tendulkar. I don't know how he worked that out," Atherton said.
"I tell you that it won't be music to the ears of the Indians. It's just coming about to bedtime in India, and you've given us a stat-60.28."
There's a strong possibility that Joe Root can Finish at No.2 in this Test match itself.#ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/QqvyrqKsj2
— (@Shebas_10dulkar) July 24, 2025
Atherton then went on to add that Root will be "cursed". He added: "Millions of homes around Mumbai right now."
Making another bold prediction, Atherton said that if Root manages to go past Sachin, there would arguably be no one else to better the record in the future.
"Wherever Joe Root finishes, say, for example, he went past Sachin. I'm not so sure anybody will go past that just because of the nature of the way the game is going. People will play fewer Test matches, I would imagine, in the years to come," he said.
"But that's what's going to drive him. He knows that. He will know that more than anybody else. The way the game is going, the three formats of the game," Shastri concluded.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Joe Root
Sachin Tendulkar