'Will surpass Sachin Tendulkar': Michael Vaughan slams Darren Lehmann’s ‘nonsense’ criticism of Joe Root’s legacy

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has taken a sharp jab at the former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann, dismissing his assessment that Joe Root is one level behind Virat Kohli as "nonsense."

Lehmann has recently pointed out Root's lack of a Test century in Australia, and that’s why he rated Root behind Kohli, which has now ignited a fiery debate among the cricket pundits.

Michael Vaughan blasts Darren Lehmann over Joe Root vs Virat Kohli comparison

Darren Lehmann has declared Virat Kohli a class above Joe Root, citing the Indian batting superstar's seven Test hundreds in Australia while England’s batting icon is yet to score a Test century Down Under.

Read Also: Michael Vaughan wants England, Australia to use this strategy to bring Jasprit Bumrah to knees

Root has 35 test centuries to his name so far and is close to equal Sachin Tendulkar's world record, but he remains under scrutiny for his inability to show dominance in Australian conditions.

With the next Ashes potentially being his final shot at breaking this century drought in Australia, Darren Lehmann has a doubt whether Joe Root is an all-time great. The former Australian batter further mentioned that Root is a great player, but still, he is one level behind Virat Kohli.

Joe Root is a great player, but Virat Kohli in that upper echelon: Lehmann

Recently, Darren Lehmann had stated, “Joe Root is a great player, but is he an all-time great? He’s had four [three] goes in the Ashes and hasn't made a hundred. A rung below for that reason. They've made runs all over the world in difficult conditions against different oppositions. And that’s the only thing stopping Joe Root. I think he’s a great player, but is he in that upper echelon?”

Hitting back at the former Australian coach, former England captain Vaughan slammed the criteria Lehmann used to draw comparisons between Root and Kohli. Root, who recently surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the top scorer in the fourth innings in Test cricket, continues to show his dominance across the world.

Read Also: Watch: Rohit Sharma makes devoted fan’s decade-long dream a reality by giving autograph

However, the Englishman has argued that labeling a player based solely on centuries in a specific region is unfair and disrespects Root’s career filled with remarkable achievements, especially when he is close to shattering a world record.

What a load of nonsense: Michael Vaughan slams Lehmann

Vaughan pointed out that both Kohli and Root have dominated world cricket in their unique ways. With Root just 3145 runs shy of Tendulkar's all-time Test record, Vaughan said that this statement might haunt Lehmann next year.

Michael Vaughan was quoted as saying by SEN Mornings: “What a load of nonsense. We're talking about a player that could quite easily—if he stays fit and that back stays strong—surpass Sachin Tendulkar in a few years. Just because he's not got a hundred here in Australia, this isn't the be-all and end-all. You'd like to come here and score runs.”

Vaughan signed off by saying, “But he'll come next year in the way that he's playing in this England side now at four—playing the Joe Root way rather than the Bazball way—I’ve got a sneaky feeling that might come back to haunt Darren next year. He might get a couple of hundreds next year, and the way that England is playing, particularly against this Kookaburra ball, I think it’s going to be a great contest.”