Will Joe Root break Sachin Tendulkar's record? Ben Stokes drops "I don't see..." bombshell

Ben Stokes celebrated Joe Root's outstanding achievement in Test cricket, praising the batting maestro for his selflessness and incredible contribution to the England cricket team.

Root became England's all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket during the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, breaking the previous record of 12,472 runs set by Sir Alastair Cook.

Ben Stokes hails Joe Root's historic feat in Test Cricket

However, Stokes was sidelined due to a hamstring injury in the Multan Test match, but he took the opportunity to pay tribute to Root through a video posted by the ECB on the social media platform X on Wednesday, October 9.

In the video, the England captain expressed his admiration for Root, highlighting his remarkable selflessness that truly defines the modern-era legend. Stokes emphasized how Root consistently prioritizes the England team's success, and these mountainous runs he's amassed are an added benefit for the national side.

Stokes went on to say that Root is an extraordinary player, and it will likely be a very long time before anyone else can overtake his historic record set on Wednesday. He also praised Root's character, calling him a great person and acknowledging his incredible achievement in Test cricket.

He’s an incredible player: Ben Stokes on Joe Root

Ben Stokes said in the ECB video: “The selflessness that he has is an incredible attribute for him. He always puts the team first, and the fact that he’s got so many runs is just a bonus for us. He’s an incredible player. It’s going to take a long, long time for someone to come in and break that record.

Just a great guy. And an unbelievable feat to score that many runs. But the non-selfishness that he possesses is one thing I think sets him above or sets him apart from anybody else who is going to play for England for a long time.”

Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has confidently backed Joe Root's potential to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most runs in Test cricket. On being asked about Root's chances of breaking Tendulkar's monumental tally of 15,921 runs, Stokes said that there's no reason why Root can't achieve this historic feat.

🏏 "Incredible player. Great bloke." ❤️

Hear @BenStokes38 on @Root66's incredible achievement...

Click below for full interview 👇

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 9, 2024

Ben Stokes backs Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar's world record in Tests

The England skipper believes Joe Root could continue playing until the age of 39, giving him a strong chance to at least come close to Tendulkar's world record, if not surpass it in his career.

Stokes signed off by saying, “Look, he is 33. He has played some 100 games in a row. I don't know. He can easily go until he is 37, 38, or even 39. He plays all the Test matches from now until then; I don't see why not. He is too good a player to at least get close to. I personally will be backing him to go past it (Tendulkar’s record of most Test runs).”

Notably, Root notched up his 35th century in the ongoing Multan Test against Pakistan overtook Sunil Gavaskar's tally of 34 centuries and jumped sixth on the list of players to have smashed the most number of tons in the longest format of the game.