Joe Root breaks Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record

Chasing 104 against England in Christchurch, Joe Root slammed an unbeaten 15-ball 23 to help his side to a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the first Test to go 1-0 up. His knock took him past Sachin Tendulkar's record of most runs in the fourth innings in Tests.

Root now has 1,630 runs at 41.79 in the fourth innings, pipping Tendulkar, who had 1,625 runs at 36.93. Root achieved this feat in his 150th Test, making him only the 11th player to the landmark.

The England batter now has 12,777 runs at an average of nearly 51. He is the fifth-highest run-getter in the format and the only player in world cricket now who can realistically threaten to break Tendulkar's record on that front.

In his 24-year career, Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs at 53.78 in 200 Tests. Root has been England's mainstay ever since he made his debut against India in 2012. Since 2020, the England batter has slammed 5,418 runs at 54.72. He has added another dimension in the Bazball era by scoring at a quicker pace, as his strike rate of 61.63 depicts.

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