How close is Joe Root to breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record?

On Saturday, Joe Root moved a step closer to one of the most celebrated records in cricket, held by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Root notched his 34th Test century in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, positioning himself as the closest active player to Tendulkar’s all-time Test run record.

Root delivered a commanding performance, scoring 143 runs off 206 balls in the first innings and following it up with a fluid 103 off 121 in the second. His twin centuries helped England set a massive target of 483 for Sri Lanka.

These knocks also secured Root’s place as the England batter with the most Test centuries, surpassing Sir Alastair Cook.

Root’s career tally now stands at 12,377 runs, leaving him just 96 runs away from surpassing Cook as England’s leading run-scorer in Test history. Additionally, he is closing in on the elusive top five of the all-time global Test run-scorers list.

As Root edges closer to Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 Test runs, the conversation around whether he can surpass the Indian great has intensified.

Root is now just 3,544 runs away from matching the record, and his form suggests it’s a matter of time. However, when asked about this in a video shared by England Cricket, Root remained focused on his team’s success over personal accolades.

“I just want to play my part for the team, score as many runs as I can, and see where that takes me,” Root remarked.

“Of course, scoring a hundred is a special feeling—you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t part of why you play the game. But there’s no greater satisfaction than winning a Test match."

Root further emphasised that his primary focus is contributing to the team's success.

"The more my runs can influence games and help the team, the better it feels. That’s where my focus lies, and with that mindset, hopefully, there’ll be more days like this.”