Former Australia batter Darren Lehmann hailed England talisman Joe Root as the finest cricketer since Sir Donald Bradman during the ongoing fifth Test of the Ashes 2025–26 in Sydney. Lehmann further opined that the England great is capable of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s Test records in the years ahead.
Root produced a magnificent 160 from 242 balls in the first innings at Sydney, registering his second century of the series. The right-hander had arrived in Australia without a single Test hundred in the country, a factor that had earlier prompted Lehmann to question his standing among the game’s elite batters.
However, Root’s latest hundred in the ongoing Sydney Test led Lehmann to revise his stance, as he said (via TOI):
“I’ve said it before, once he ticked off the hundred in Australia, he’ll be the greatest player outside of Bradman, statistically. He’ll break all the records. He’ll beat Tendulkar, he’ll make more hundreds than anyone else. And it’ll take a lot of catching because he’s quite fit.”
Root’s century in Sydney marked his 41st in Test cricket, equaling former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in third place, trailing only Jacques Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendulkar (51). With this innings, Root also came within 2,000 runs of Tendulkar’s overall Test tally of 15,921. The England No. 4 has now amassed 13,937 runs in 163 Tests at an average exceeding 51.
“I’d love to, but we’ll see” – Joe Root on another Ashes stint in Australia
Joe Root stayed non-committal about making a return to Australia for another Ashes series as the current contest nears its end. By the time the next Ashes are held Down Under, the star batter will be 39.
“Who knows? We’ll see. I’d love to, but we’ll see how things unfold in time,” said Root (via the aforementioned source).
Joe Root’s brilliance powered England to a respectable first-innings total of 384. After losing the opening three Tests and conceding the Ashes urn, the visitors managed to restore some pride with a gritty four-wicket victory in the fourth Test at Melbourne. In the ongoing Sydney Test, despite England’s strong first-innings score, they face a challenge as Australia ended Day 2 at 166/2, keeping the contest alive.
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