Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has had a dazzling career in international cricket. The Mumbaikar served Indian cricket for 24 long years, breaking several records and attaining numerous milestones.
Tendulkar finished his career as the highest run-scorer in both One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test cricket. He amassed 18,463 runs in ODIs and 15,921 in the longest format. The ‘Master Blaster’ is also the only batter to smash 100 international centuries.
Most of his major records remain out of reach for modern-day batters, but few are viewed as they can get close to Tendulkar’s unreal numbers. One of them is veteran England batter Joe Root, who is regarded as a candidate that can surpass the Indian maestro’s Test tally of 15,921 runs
While Root is still quite far from reaching Tendulkar’s Test runs, the former England skipper has lavished praise on the 49-year-old, stating what Tendulkar has achieved will always be remarkable, regardless of whether someone manages to surpass his records or not.
“I mean, obviously, there are some wonderful players currently playing but look at what Sachin has achieved, it’s just remarkable, really, the longevity, the ability to be such a high-performing player at such a young age, and then to be able to sustain and to keep developing and moving forward in the game,” Root told Zee ahead of the inaugural ILT20 clash between Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
Root opined that Tendulkar carried the weight of the pressure for over 20 years and has contributed a lot to both Indian and world cricket. The Yorkshire cricketer also revealed he admired Tendulkar as a kid.
“There have been times when he’s carried the weight of the pressure on his shoulders, and he did it for over 20 years. He made his debut before I was born and played in my debut, and it just shows how and what he was for Indian cricket for such a long period of time. Truly great at the game, someone that you know, along with many others that I was admiring as a kid, how easy it looked, and not only has he contributed to Indian cricket but also to world cricket. So yeah, definitely a standout for me as a kid growing up,” said Root.
