'Hard To Beat, But...': Alastair Cook Eager To See Joe Root Outgo Sachin As Top Run-Getter In Tests

Out of the entire Fab Four debate, England's Joe Root has been one of the finest in-form cricketers who have been making waves in English Cricket. He recently established himself as one of his country's most established batters. As Root continues to achieve greatness, Alastair Cook, the recently enshrined ICC Hall of Famer, has backed him up to make a big leap in Test Cricket and eclipse Sachin Tendulkar's record in the process.    

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Alastair Cook Believes Joe Root Will Overtake Sachin Tendulkar's Record  To Become Test Cricket's Top Run Scorer

During a roundtable appearance with the ICC, Alastair Cook expressed his support for Englishman Joe Root to surpass the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's record as the leading run-getter in the history of Test Cricket.

"I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on an English side, that'll be very hard to beat. But you just never know. I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person who scores 16,000 Test runs. It'd be a great achievement," Alastair Cook said.

Joe Root passed Alastair Cook as England's leading run-scorer in the longest format of the game during the first Multan Test against Pakistan earlier this month. The 39-year-old Cook additionally disclosed that he struggled to express himself via text and instead called Root to commend him on his incredible achievement.

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Root has been one of the most consistent batters in Test cricket, putting up big scores every time he has played. Kane Williamson leads the way among the Fab Four, but Joe Root is gradually catching up as he continues to play. The English cricketer has demonstrated unrivalled tenacity, rewriting history and setting incredible records. One of the key records he may be looking to break is Sachin Tendulkar's record of 15,922 runs.

At the moment, Root is ranked fifth in the leading run-getters chart, behind Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289) Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Sachin Tendulkar (15921). With 12716 Test runs under his belt, the 33-year-old Root is currently 3205 runs short of the Indian legend.

[With PTI Inputs]