The Yorkshireman surpassed Ricky Ponting’s tally of 13,378 runs on Friday, day three of the fourth Test against India, and now sits at 13,409 runs from 157 Tests -- behind only Tendulkar’s towering 15,921. Root made his Test debut in the 2012 Nagpur Test, a series that marked the twilight of Tendulkar’s career.

E ngland batter Ollie Pope has backed Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of a staggering 15,921 runs in Test cricket. During a media interaction after the third day of play at The Old Trafford, Manchester, Pope stated that if Root’s body allows him to play, he would be driven to surpass the world record for most Test runs.

With a characteristic glide through point for one, Joe Root entered rarefied territory. He is now the second-highest run-scorer in Test match history, after overtaking Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid on day three in Old Trafford.