Joe Root can break Sachin Tendulkar's Test record, says Michael Vaughan
Joe Root now has over 10,000 runs to his name in Tests
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has said it is highly likely to see Joe Root break legendary Sachin Tendulkar's record of most runs in Test cricket.
During England's win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's, Root surpassed the 10,000-mark in the longest format. Among the English batters, Root is the second leading run-scorer after Alastair Cook, who ended his career with over 12,000 runs in Tests.
Root became the 14th cricketer and the second Englishman after Cook to achieve the record. Courtesy of Root's 115 in the second innings, which was his 26th Test century, England sealed the game by five wickets and went 1-0 up in the three-match Test series.
Praising Root, Vaughan called the former England captain the country's "best ever" Test batsman.
"Joe Root is England's best ever - now Sachin Tendulkar should watch out. For me, Joe Root stands alongside Graham Gooch as England's greatest batsman, and the way he is going he could surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most Test runs.
"He is still 6000 short of Sachin's total but he is only 31 and if James Anderson can play until he is 40, then I think Joe can too. He loves batting that much. He is driven. He is a cricket badger. You have to have it in you to wake up every morning and think about batting," Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
Earlier, former Australian batsman Mark Taylor said that if Root continued the same rhythm, he can easily go past the 15,000-mark without breaking much sweat.
"Root has a minimum of five years left in him, so I think Tendulkar's record is very achievable. Root is batting as I have ever seen him bat over the last 18 months to two years. He is in the prime of his career, so there are 15,000 runs-plus for him if he stays healthy," Taylor told Sky Sports.
Root took 169 days fewer than Tendulkar to reach the 10,000-run landmark. The former Indian batter was 31 years and 326 days when he reached 10,000 Test runs, but went on to play even after his 40th birthday.
Tendulkar, who holds the record for most Test runs, finished his career with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests. No other batter has even touched the 14,000-mark to date apart from the Master Blaster.
Meanwhile, former England captain Alastair Cook did not get into the debate of whether Root can break Tendulkar's record, but he showed his appreciation of Root's achievements.
"I was so glad I was here to witness that - an unbelievable knock by an unbelievable player. He is the most complete England batsman in all forms," said Cook.
The second Test between England and New Zealand is due to begin on Friday (June 10) at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.