In what many consider tennis’ greatest torch-passing moment, a 19-year-old Roger Federer stunned seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras in 2001. Few recognized then that the ponytailed Swiss would surpass his idol’s legacy. Similarly, when young Joe Root debuted against India in 2012, no one imagined the fresh-faced Yorkshireman would one day challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s untouchable Test run record.
That Nagpur Test marked the only occasion Root shared the field with Tendulkar, who retired a year later with 15,921 Test runs – a figure then considered sacrosanct. On Friday at Old Trafford, Root’s masterful 150 not only propelled England but saw him eclipse three modern greats in one innings – first surpassing Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis, then dethroning Ricky Ponting (12,097 runs) as Test cricket’s third-highest scorer.
The 33-year-old’s innings was a clinic in controlled aggression. Each milestone arrived with characteristic humility – a subtle single to overtake Dravid, another to pip Kallis, before the Manchester crowd erupted as he passed Ponting’s mark. Batting partner Ben Stokes appeared bemused by the celebrations, unaware of the historic moment unfolding.
Root’s dismissal by Ravindra Jadeja – who debuted alongside him in 2012 – left him with 12,098 runs, still 2,512 shy of Tendulkar’s summit. Yet his relentless consistency makes the once-unthinkable appear inevitable. Already holding virtually every major English batting record, Root averages over 50 since abandoning the captaincy, scoring 11 centuries in his last 35 Tests.
As cricket’s landscape changes, Root’s classical technique and unshowy demeanor make him the perfect standard-bearer for Test tradition. Where Tendulkar carried a nation’s hopes and Ponting embodied Australian dominance, Root’s quiet accumulation reflects his understated excellence. With potentially five more productive years ahead, the boy who once shared a field with Tendulkar may yet become the man who replaces him atop cricket’s pantheon.