Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has predicted that Joe Root, the English great, will end his Test career with comparatively more runs among the ‘Fab 4’members, Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, and Kane Williamson. Root will get very close to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the most Test runs, by the end of his career; perhaps, he can even go beyond the record, projected Watson.
So far, Root has amassed 10015 runs in 218 Test innings (118 matches), at an average of 49.57, with 26 hundreds and 53 half-centuries. While Kohli has notched 8043 runs in 101 matches, Smith has 8010 runs in 85 games, in his account and Williamson has scraped 7289 runs in 87 Tests.
Besides, Root lately smashed a ton in the first Test against New Zealand. The 31-year-old scored a match-winning knock of 115* off 170 deliveries, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. When being asked about Root’s performance as far as the record is concerned on ICC Review Program, Watson stated:
“He’s as good as anyone to be able to get as close as he can. For sure, he’s got a lot of great cricket in front of him, so I think he is going to get very close.”
Furthermore, Shane Watson was asked, who among the ‘Fab 4’ will finish at the top with the most Test runs, the 40-years-old asserted:
“Just by seeing where Joe Root is right now, he is the youngest one with Kane Williamson, who is 31 as well. Those two have still got a fair way to go. I think Joe Root is going to finish on top. For the other guys, it depends on how much cricket they continue to play. They’ve still got a lot of cricket left in them.”
Discussing Kohli and Smith’s stint from now on, Watson stated, “Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, they can still churn out the runs for the next three to four years. You never know, they’ll get right up there with the all-time run-scorers as well. We’ve been very fortunate to have those four in world cricket over the last six to seven years. To see them at the peak of their powers is always special.”
Moreover, Virat Kohli has been facing a rough phase, as the 33-year-old hasn’t scored a single ton since November 2019.
“He’s going to have greater freedom” – Shane Watson on Joe Root
Additionally, Shane Watson also stated that Root could be more daring as a player, since he recently took off the burden, stepping down from the Test leadership role. The Aussie great clarified:
“Now that he is not captain, he’s going to have greater freedom. The pressure’s just off and I’d be very surprised if he just doesn’t take off again and make the most of the freedom that he’s going to have.”
Speaking on Root’s gameplay in the format, Watson added:
“From a Test match point of view, he could play around 170-180 Test matches and if he gets around there, he’s going to be near Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar with the amount of runs that he could score in that period of time.”
More to the point, Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting are the top two run-getters in the Tests. Tendulkar has scored 15921 runs in 200 games, while Ponting has notched 13178 runs in 168 Test matches.
Written By Prachi Pisal
Get the latest cricket news here and like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
