New Delhi [India], November 3 : Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on England captain Joe Root, who is closing in on his long-standing Test run-scoring record, saying he had rated the Englishman highly since his debut Test match in 2012.
During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit on Tuesday, Tendulkar was asked about Root's pursuit of his record for most Test runs in the history of the game.
Root, currently the second-highest run-scorer in the history of Test cricket, has accumulated 14,278 runs in 169 matches and 309 innings, leaving him just 1,643 runs short of Tendulkar's record.
Tendulkar retired from Test cricket with 15,921 runs in 200 matches and 329 innings, a tally that remains the highest in the format.
Responding to the question, Tendulkar expressed his admiration for Root, saying, "I’ve always rated him very highly and it was evident to me in his first test match that he was going to make it big!"
Root made his Test debut against India in the Nagpur Test in December 2012, when Tendulkar was part of the Indian side. He scored 73 off 229 balls in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 20 in the second as the match ended in a draw.
When asked about his favourite non-Indian batters, Tendulkar named England’s Harry Brook, Joe Root and Australia’s Steve Smith.
Sachin Tendulkar also reiterated his suggestion to revamp the One-Day International (ODI) format by splitting the 50-over contest into two separate 25-over innings for each team.
Tendulkar explained that the format should retain 10 wickets across the full 50 overs, with teams using a single ball throughout.
”My suggestion is simple. Split the 50 overs into two innings of 25 each. But keep 10 wickets for the full 50 overs and use just one ball throughout. That way the contest between bat and ball stays alive, and both teams get to bat and bowl under the dew. It balances the game for both sides. We need to do something before bowlers go extinct,” he said.