In a significant achievement for his international career, Joe Root surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record by crossing the 23,000-run mark during England’s opening ODI against Sri Lanka in Durham on Tuesday. This milestone further cements Root’s status as one of the leading batsmen in the history of the sport.
The England batter reached the landmark in his 521st international innings, making him the second-fastest player to accumulate 23,000 runs across formats. Tendulkar had reached the same mark in 522 innings, while Virat Kohli remains the quickest, having completed the feat in 490 innings. Fastest to 23000 Runs in Intl Cricket 490 Inngs – Virat Kohli 521 Inngs – Joe Root 522 Inngs – Sachin Tendulkar 544 Inngs – Ricky Ponting 551 Inngs – Jacques Kallis 568 Inngs – Kumar Sangakkara 576 Inngs – Rahul Dravid 645 Inngs – Mahela Jayawardene Root Joins Exclusive 23,000 Run Club Root needed only three runs when he walked into the milestone moment and completed the landmark with a wristy boundary. His achievement also made him the first Englishman and only the eighth batter overall to cross 23,000 international runs. Root’s milestone came during an innings in which he contributed 44 runs from 52 balls as England posted 265 before bowling Sri Lanka out for 176. Will Jacks was the star with the ball, claiming 5/22 as England secured an 89 run victory at Chester-le-Street. The bigger statistical target, however, remains Tendulkar’s record tally of 15,921 Test runs. Root currently has 14,278 Test runs, leaving him 1,643 runs short of the benchmark. He has also played 169 Tests, meaning he is 31 matches away from Tendulkar’s record of 200 Test appearances. Root, who will turn 36 in December this year, continues to add to an already extraordinary career across formats. Before the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Root had accumulated 7,826 ODI runs at an average of more than 51, including 20 centuries. At 35, Root remains firmly among the most productive batters of his generation, with several major career milestones still within reach.
His latest landmark therefore carries significance beyond the 23,000 run figure. The exclusive list now features Tendulkar, Kohli and Rahul Dravid from India, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Australia’s Ricky Ponting, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and Root. Tendulkar Records Remain In Root’s Sight The latest achievement is another instance of Root edging closer to numbers long associated with Tendulkar. The Englishman has already overtaken the Indian great for the most half centuries in Test cricket. Root’s ODI Record Often Goes Under The Radar While much of the discussion around Root has centred on his Test achievements, his ODI numbers underline his importance in England’s white ball setup as well. He is already England’s leading run scorer in ODI cricket. Root has now moved ahead of Tendulkar on the fastest route to that number, while Kohli continues to occupy the top position on the list.
