Joe Root keeps rewriting Test history; Sachin Tendulkar's records under threat

England's Joe Root moved another step closer to Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing records after adding another major milestone to his remarkable Test career during the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's.Joe Root breaks Ricky Ponting's record, closes in on Sachin Tendulkar's Test mark (AP Photo)England captain Joe Root has moved another step closer to Sachin Tendulkar's all-time long-standing Test records. The England batter overtook Ricky Ponting to become the highest run-scorer in Test cricket on home soil, adding another major milestone to his remarkable career.Root needed 13 runs at the start of the match to go past Ponting's tally of 7,578 Test runs in Australia. After being dismissed for four in the first innings, Root returned in the second and scored 24 off 37 balls, taking his tally in home Tests to 7,591 runs.England vs Pakistan, 2nd Test Day 3: Highlights from LondonThe milestone came in Root's 89th Test in England. Ponting scored 7,578 runs across 92 Tests in Australia during his international career. Root's latest feat puts him at the top of the list for most Test runs on home soil. Tendulkar, who scored 7,216 runs in 94 Tests in India, is third on the list, while Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis are also among the leading run-scorers.The bigger target, however, remains Tendulkar's record for most Test runs. The former India batter finished his career with 15,921 runs, while Root is now 1,700 runs away from the mark.ROOT'S BELOW-PAR TEST RUN Root's record came during a lean spell with the bat in England's 2026 home season.The England captain has gone 10 innings without a century, with his best score of the season being 77, which came in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval.His second innings against Pakistan also ended without a major contribution. Root made 24 before Mohammad Ali trapped him leg before wicket with the third delivery of the 17th over.Root, though, is closing in on another major milestone in international cricket.He currently has 11,928 international runs in 260 innings across 199 matches on English soil. He needs 72 more runs to reach 12,000 international runs at home, which would make him only the sixth batter to reach the mark and the first from England.Tendulkar holds the record in this category as well, having scored 14,192 international runs in 313 innings across 258 matches in India.Root still has a long way to go before he can challenge Tendulkar's overall Test record. But after surpassing Ponting at Lord's, another of Tendulkar's records has come into view.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Aug 30, 2026 13:57 IST