“It doesn't mean he will surpass Sachin paaji in two years” - Aakash Chopra on Joe Root

On the third day of the Manchester Test against India, the former England captain Joe Root went past Ricky Ponting to emerge as the second-leading run-scorer in the longest format of the game.

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Interestingly, he needs 2513 more runs to go past Sachin Tendulkar in the Test run-scoring charts. The former Indian cricketer and analyst Aakash Chopra felt that consistency would play a crucial role in Root’s career, as he might need more than two years to achieve this feat.

"I was reading this wonderful tweet from Ben Jones. Root needs 2539 runs to go past Sachin paaji. Just to put things in perspective, he has scored 2539 in the last two years. He has scored more than 2500 runs since February 2023," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"If it continues like this, it's a two-year thing, but it doesn't work like that. It's the story of life that you feel things will continue as is, but nothing remains constant. You lose form or get injured at times. It's a good reference point, but it doesn't mean he will surpass Sachin paaji in two years," he added.

Moreover, Chopra hailed Root for his excellent consistency throughout his career, calling him the best batter at the moment in Test cricket. Root's 150-run knock meant England took a lead of 186 runs at stumps on Day 3 with three more wickets in hand.

"The guy is different. He downs our spirits. He makes our plans go messy. He is a brilliant player. There is no doubt about who the best Test batter is currently. Everyone will say in one voice that it's Joe Root," he stated.

"When he was batting today (Friday), there was assurance, surety, a slight dominance, and calmness. He plays properly. He defends, opens the face of the bat to get fours, plays sweeps in between, and finds gaps on the leg side off the back foot. He is brilliant. He is temperamentally right up there," he concluded.

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