Joe Root has once again stirred conversations around the cricketing world—not just with his elegant batting but now with a bold statistical prediction. On Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England in Manchester, former India coach Ravi Shastri weighed in on-air as Joe Root’s tally edged closer to cricketing giants like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting.
Root ended Day 2 unbeaten on 11, taking his career tally to 13,270 runs in 157 Tests. He is just 19 runs away from Dravid, 20 behind Kallis, and 109 short of Ponting. But the real buzz began when Sky Sports commentator Michael Atherton shared a stat that gave Root a 60.28% chance to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 Test runs.
This prompted Shastri to make a bold prediction: that Root could finish with even 3,000 more runs than Tendulkar, given his age and form. “He’s got about 40 more Tests in him. If he stays fit, he could play 200 Tests like Sachin and easily cross that number,” Shastri stated.
Shastri’s Warning and Atherton’s ‘Cursed’ Comment
While discussing the stat, Atherton noted that the prediction left him puzzled. “I don’t know how he worked that out,” he said, referring to Sky’s statistician Benedict Bermange. Shastri responded humorously but cautiously, “It won’t be music to the ears of Indians. It’s bedtime in India, and you’ve just dropped a 60.28% stat on them.”
Atherton jokingly added, “He’ll be cursed. Millions of homes around Mumbai right now,” acknowledging the emotional weight of Tendulkar’s legacy among Indian fans.
They also discussed how the future of Test cricket may make such tallies nearly unreachable. Atherton noted that with the rise of T20 and franchise leagues, few players may reach Root’s numbers. Shastri concluded that this challenge could fuel Root’s motivation further.
As cricket evolves, only time will tell if Root manages to rewrite history—or if the numbers will remain legendary benchmarks never to be touched again.
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