"He needs another 3.5 to 4 years" - Former India coach's massive claim on Joe Root breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record amid ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes ace England batter Joe Root has a realistic opportunity to dethrone Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot for most Test runs in another four years. Root smashed his 38th Test century on Day 3 of the ongoing fourth Test against India at Manchester, moving past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to second all-time in Test runs.

His 248-ball 150 means the 34-year-old is now on 13,409 runs in his Test career at an average of 51.17. Meanwhile, Tendulkar is atop the run-scoring chart with 15,921 runs in 200 matches.

Talking about Root's chances of upstaging Tendulkar for the coveted run-scoring record, Shastri told Sky Sports after play on Day 3 (2:37):

"The more England win, the more it will keep Root in that frame of mind to play. He needs another 3.5 to 4 years. If he is there that length of time, that record, which no one thought was achievable, is gettable. If he does get it, no one will pass that."

He added:

"It's very much on the cards. The good thing is he has got a good captain in Stokes, who likes to win. He likes to take the game forward and encourages players to get on the front foot and go hard."

Joe Root's 12th Test century against India (most by any batter against them) also made him third all-time for most Test centuries against a single team.

"You can go and sleep because he is going to bat and bat big" - Ravi Shastri on Joe Root

Ravi Shastri feels there was an inevitability about Joe Root's century on the third day of the Manchester Test once he saw past the first few minutes. The champion batter also leveled former Sri Lankan batter Kumar Sangakkara for the fourth spot in terms of Test centuries with 38.

"There are certain players, when you see them over the years, from a dressing room point of view, if the sun is out, Root is batting and there is history in the making, you tell yourselves - If he sees that first 20 minutes through, you can go and sleep because he is going to bat and bat big. It would have been in his mind, all those records and milestones that he is going to go past," said Shastri (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"But he would have just gone about the job in the manner he does. It's the rhythm and fluency he maintains that keeps the tempo going; he is never bogged down. He is always looking to score, and that's because of his footwork. He is always moving at the crease, which is fabulous."

Joe Root's heroics helped England dominate the third day and reach a massive 544/7 at stumps, with an overall lead of 186 runs. They lead the five-match series 2-1.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran