“I do not think anyone is ahead of Joe Root” - Former RCB cricketer makes massive Virat Kohli comparison amid ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricketer compared Virat Kohli and Joe Root amid the fourth Test between England and India. He touched upon where the two batters stand in different formats. Root smashed a brilliant ton on day three of the ongoing match at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Kartik stated that Virat Kohli is the best batter across all formats. However, he believes there is no one ahead of Joe Root when it comes to Test cricket alone. He hailed the England batter for his ability to bat in any given condition across the globe.

"If you talk about all format batters, there is only one name that is Virat Kohli. But if you talk only about Test cricket, in this decade, I do not think anyone is ahead of Joe Root. He goes and bats in any condition. He has also come to India and made runs for fun. He is solid everywhere. He knows how to use his feet according to the ball, play with soft hands and dominate," he said on Cricbuzz. (5:08)

Joe Root scored 150 runs off 248 balls with 14 boundaries in his sensational knock. It is his 38th Test hundred. With that, he went past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter of all time in the format. Root now has 13409 runs from 157 matches. He is only behind Sachin Tendulkar on the list.

Kartik feels that while it will not be easy, Root could very well surpass Tendulkar and break the record.

"He can go past Sachin but he will have to play at least three to three and a half years more for that. It will not be as easy. But in the last four to five years I dont think anyone has scored more than him in Test cricket. 2500 runs are a lot to get but. He is 34 as well. But on ability, he can do it," he added.

Tendulkar has 15921 runs from 200 Tests and 329 innings at an average of 53.78 with 51 hundreds.

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Joe Root's ton puts England in strong position, India have to fight to stay alive

Riding on Joe Root's ton, England got to 544/7 at the close of play on day three. They are now ahead by 186 runs and on top of this contest. Kartik believes that India will find it tough to try and push for a win from this stage.

He expressed that the visitors will have to fight to keep the series alive. If they can manage to draw this Test, they can head into the final Test and level the series there. England are 2-1 ahead with wins in the first and the third games.

"We saw the ball was staying low from one end. Some batters were troubled as well. When England come to bowl, if there is no swing and another hot day, they will look to bowl wicket-to-wicket. But I don't think it is going to be easy for India to make a game out of this from here and win. But they will have to show the fighting spirit and keep the series alive. You can go to the Oval and level the series. But if you get 3-1 behind here, then it is done. There is a chance of just fighting back now," he said. (10:37)

India are in a tough position in this game. They will have to pick up the remaining three wickets as soon as they can on the fourth day and not let the hosts extend their lead to a considerable extent. It will also depend on how they bat in the second innings.

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Edited by Rishab Vm